Abstract: At approximately 9:30 a.m. on February 7, 1997, Employee #1 was helping a coworker bathe a 22-month-old male longhair cat prior to neutering surgery. No restraints were used during the bathing process. While Employee #1 was holding down the cat and wetting it around the head, it bit her on the right thumb. She self-treated the wound and continued with her regular duties. By 4:00 p.m., Employee #1 was in significant discomfort and was instructed to go the urgent care clinic. She was admitted to Scripps Memorial Hospital that day with a preliminary diagnosis of pyogenic arthritis of the right thumb, and was released on February 14, 1997. The main causal factor of this accident was the lack of means to adequately restrain the cat during bathing, such as a leash and collar or harness, that would have allowed the employee to better control the head, teeth, and claws of the animal.