Guest locked out our cat but appologized, write a bad review?

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

Our house rules clearly state: "please do not let the cat out" and "don't feed the cat". The rules are in our listing and also printed in the room. We also have signs on the main door and balcony. It should be clear to all the guests. However our recent guest locked out the cat in the balcony and gave him a can of food (I guess to bring him to the balcony). Luckily the cat didn't jump and escape but he was shocked and in panic until we arrived.

We asked our guest why she did that as the rules are clear written in multiple places and with signs. She appologized and say that she is afraid of cats, she was in panic and didn't know what to do. She could have closed the door of her room to avoid the cat getting in, or she could have locked the cat in the bathroom, the other room, etc. In addition, she never sent a message or called us, that could have been the easiest solution. 

We undestand that she was in panic and didn't know how to react. However: she never read the listing (she confirmed this) as she didn't know we had a cat (before booking they have to acknowledge that a cat lives in the property), she failed to communicate with us when there was a problem, and she clearly ignored the house rules. She appologized multiple times after, I think she really felt bad for what she did, probably didn't think carefully as a result of the panic situation.

As hosts, we are usually very understandable and we haven't writen a bad review yet (we didn't really have any problems with guests). This time I'm not sure what to do. Should I write a bad review and mark her as a non-recommended? This will really hurt her for instant bookings and future bookings. I kind of feel bad because if other hosts don't have pets, she might be ok as a guest. 

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

@Letti0 PetSafe ScatMat, this is the link in Amazon.  Our cat escaped once (the guest forgot the door open) and was lost for 2 days. I think he liked it and then he was trying to escape everytime. It was very problematic when having guests. We then bought the mat and it worked perfect. The cat got shocked only two times, that was enough to learn that he could not get close to the door. Our mat has been turned off for months now but the cat learned the boundaries. 

[Sarah977]

@Bruna-and-Siana0  Lots of people think that a choke chain for a dog is cruel, and I'll bet there are those who would think the shock mat was also. But I have a 70 pound dog, which is almost 3/4 of my weight. When I first introduced her to the leash, I used the choke chain and she learned immediately not to pull and never does, therefore it doesn't choke her. I still have to use it, because she is stubborn and if she doesn't want to come along for some reason, she'll just back herself out of a regular collar, leaving me holding the leash and an empty collar 🙂

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

@Sarah977 I was one of those, I thought it was cruel to shock a dog or cat, even if it was with a very small electric shock. But our cat was lost for 2 days and a mat seemed like the best solution. Luckily, the cat only needed two small shocks to learn. The mat has been off for the past 6 or 7 months, the cat doesn't even try to go close. It's very cute to see him waiting close to the edge of the mat when we arrive. He knows he cannot touch it!

[Sarah977]

@Bruna-and-Siana0  I'll bet the shock mat would be really good for teaching a dog not to jump up on beds or sofas, too. I guess you'd need several so a smart dog wouldn't be able to just go around it. Your cat could have run into a situation when lost for 2 days that would have been much more painful than a little shock from the mat.

[Letti0]

@Bruna-and-Siana0 I will be ordering them. She has a front door and patio door and they are sized for both. Thank you.