As much as we try to prevent it, scratches or bites sometimes happen. Should a scratch or bite occur, immediately offer assistance and express that you are sorry it happened.
In order to prevent bites and scratches, it is the responsibility of all volunteers to actively monitor customer and cat interactions and head off any trouble before it happens.1 Alert the supervisor or manager.
2 Assess how serious the wound is. Have the customer wash the wound with soap and water, and offer a bandage. Often a child will be involved, in which case, some significant soothing or toys may be required -- bandaids often help even if skin isn’t broken.
3 If you did not see the situation occur, ask the customer which cat was involved and what the circumstances were. This information will help us determine what actions, if any, need to be taken with respect to the cat. For example, it may have been a rare or situational occurrence or the cat may need to be monitored for an emerging pattern of behavior.
If the situation is calm, this can be used as a learning opportunity to remind young people and other visitors that some cats do not like to be startled/poked/have human heads thrust towards them while sleeping, etc.