diff --git a/cats_suite_helpers/cats_suite_helpers.go b/cats_suite_helpers/cats_suite_helpers.go
index dd8727d8c..6187a5ceb 100644
--- a/cats_suite_helpers/cats_suite_helpers.go
+++ b/cats_suite_helpers/cats_suite_helpers.go
@@ -414,6 +414,9 @@ func SendAndReceive(addr string, externalPort string) (string, error) {
 		return "", err
 	}
 
+	// see https://github.com/cloudfoundry/cf-acceptance-tests/issues/1173
+	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond)
+
 	buff := make([]byte, 1024)
 	_, err = conn.Read(buff)
 	if err != nil {