Feral cat attacked a man as he finished dinner at Hilton Head restaurant, lawsuit says
If you’ve eaten at the Crazy Crab restaurant on Hilton Head Island, it’s likely you’ve noticed the cats that call the restaurant grounds home.
The cats have been ambling around the building and restaurant patio since well before the restaurant’s 2018 fire.
They were certainly present the night Beaufort County residents Stephen and Barbara Bischoff visited the restaurant for dinner on June 8, 2017. As the couple stood up to leave, a feral cat “attacked” Stephen Bischoff with “no warning or provocation,” according to a lawsuit the couple filed on April 25 in the Beaufort County Court of Common Pleas.
They are suing the restaurant for personal injury, nuisance and negligence, according to the suit.
After the cat scratched and bit Bischoff’s arm and hand, he went to two walk-in clinics to be treated, according to the suit.
He was referred to Coastal Carolina Hospital to address possible rabies concerns, and the hospital could not rule out possible exposure to rabies, the suit says.
“Defendant knew or should have known that a dangerous condition of wild unnamed and unvaccinated feral cats existed on its property,” the suit says. “However Defendants failed to properly warn its customers or take appropriate action to address the dangerous condition.”
Bischoff received treatment for rabies at the hospital, and the suit does not name a specific amount of damages being sought — leaving that to the court to decide.
Contacted Friday, Crazy Crab Associates said they would not comment on ongoing litigation.
Well-known cats on Hilton Head
The Crazy Crab cats are commonly spotted around the outdoor grounds of the restaurant.
After the restaurant’s fire in March 2018, some patrons had the cats on their mind.
“Love all the cats hanging out!” one user commented on The Island Packet article about the fire.
“They’ve been trying to relocate the cats. I was sad to hear that as we love the cats there,” another user responded to her comment.
Since the reopening, the cats have been spotted around the new building and patio, and are said to be part of a five-cat colony.
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 3:42 PM.
