KNOWN HISTORY:: Dr. Tom-Ato has recently been returned from his stay with his most recent foster due to a recent bite/scratch incident. Dr. Tom-Ato has been in the care of two different fosters for the last 5 months. He is noted by his first foster (previously his trial adopter) to spend about 8 hours alone at home and spends time out free and interacting/playing with toys and the resident cats. He is noted to be playful curious, and active around the resident cats. They describe his behavior concerns as "he has had some biting issues in the past" and "he tends to bite and sometimes scratch". He is noted to be curious and playful around strangers and the foster notes that he follows them around a lot and enjoys rubbing against their legs and laying by their legs, and is very curious and will jump on surfaces. In his second foster home, Dr. Tomato's time has been summarized as "Doctor Tom-Ato frequently is overstimulated both by his own actions (rubbing, playing) and by external factors (train noise, lightning). He has a habit of hissing when overstimulated. When showing affection and requesting pets, he lets you know that he would like to be done by licking your hand twice then gently biting (no malice). In general, it’s obvious that Tommy prefers a low-traffic home. There have been times when we have a small group of guests, and he has been well-behaved the whole time. He is very kind and sweet. He’s curious, playful, independent, and doesn’t shy away from anything. He is highly adaptable to new spaces and feels comfort and ownership quickly. After a month, he started lying in our beds with us and became more tolerant of longer pets. Whenever he gets on the kitchen island, we have no problem picking him up to get him down. He eats well and has so much energy. He often greets us and appreciates us watching him while he eats his food." He has had 2 bite/scratch incidents in the 1st foster's home and 4 in the 2nd foster's home. ~~~~~~ Lived Indoors Previously lived with: Adults, Other Cats Behavior toward strangers: Prefers contact on his own terms Behavior toward children: Friendly and outgoing Behavior toward cats: Shy and Timid Behavior toward dogs: Unknown Bite or Scratch history: Previous scratch/bite hx on 4/16 – please see potential challenges section Litter box training: Yes, had access to an uncovered litterbox with scented litter located in the bathroom. Noted to spray around dining table -unaltered male. Energy level/descriptors: Medium Energy Level Other notes: He is described as a calm and observant indoor cat who prefers contact on his own terms and watching from afar. He spends most of his time in the living room of his home where he enjoys playing with toys or random items, laying in his cat bed, and scratching on wood, carpet, or fabric surfaces. Plays rough. He eats both wet and dry food of various brands and is not picky with treats. Nips when nails are trimmed or coat is brushed. enjoys pick up/handling, placed in carrier.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 5/4/26 FB61 Lying in cat bed upon approach, body and face relaxed with his ears forward and his feet and tail tucked. He makes eye contact with a soft expression when spoken to and he remains calm in his bed as the kennel door opens. He allows petting today while leaning in, remaining tucked and loafed in his bed and turning his head to rub his cheeks all over my hand. He does not escalate further today, however he did not get out of his bed or stand up. He was rewarded with treats and he was offered a toy after the session ends. Did great today! 5/5/26 FB06 Dr.Tom-Ato is sitting at the front of the kennel with a neutral face and eyes, ears and forward as he is watching everything going on in the room. As I open the door I offer him the scratcher. He leans his head forward and curiously sniffs. He enjoys some head and body before he lifts his paw and stretches it towards my hand as if to give a gentle swat. I back my hand away and close the door. Using a feather toy, I slide it through the door and play with him for a bit. Once he laid down I opened the door again and offered him the larger scratcher. He enjoyed all petting as he was leaning in and slowly closing his eyes. I then switched to my hand and he enjoyed some head pets behind his ears. I gave him some dry treats that he enjoyed. 10/18/26 Details and notes on original surrendering incident from original owner: Tom's initial surrender by his owner was due to a bite/scratch incident on 4/16/26. Some conflicting info was originally provided but when clarified: As the owner was about to sit down to eat at the dining table (noted to be the area he sprayed around exclusively), the cat was also sitting on the chair next to her. Client stated he refused to move so she just sat next to him when he suddenly bit her arm unprovoked. The client admitted that she tried to pick him up and move him from the chair before he scratched her and that he growled beforehand as well. Based off of the information provided, it is unclear if the client meant that her cat was sitting on the same chair she was sitting on and sharing the seat, wherein she invaded his space - or he was sitting in the chair next to hers. There is a chance that this could have been a result of a fear/startle reflex as cats that are are startled often react with fear-aggression, including hissing, scratching, and biting because they feel threatened. In shelter, he is also showing some signs of potential overstimulation, which can also result in this type of reaction when startled - if touched unexpectedly or too much, prompting a quick defensive scratch. He is also noted to prefer contact on his own terms. It is likely that he hadn't expected to be handled at that moment after giving the clear warning signs. He lived with other cats and is noted by his previous owner to be shy and timid around other cats. This may increase his level of reactivity when startled if he is constantly on some level of vigilance. Cont. in GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Moderate

VOCAL:: Somewhat chatty

CHARACTER TYPE: : Bold,Social,Shy ,Sweet,Affectionate,Playful,People oriented,Curious,Skittish

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Overstimulation,Rough play,Fearful,Other,New home adjustment period

Potential challenges comments:: [Please see Enrichment Notes for details on initial surrendering incident from original owner and Bite Reports for specific details on incidents in in the Trail Adopter/1st Foster's home.] Please reference GAN for details on the 3 Incidents which were not reported to the Foster team prior to this fourth incident in 2nd home: Incident 4: Co-Foster and Friend (Stranger) "It was late morning/early afternoon, and two guests had arrived to visit co-foster So, there were only three people in the apartment total. They started playing music on the tv, unpacking all of their stuff in the living room, and blow drying hair after a shower in the bedroom with the door open. They turned the music off eventually. Our friend went to the bathroom to put her towel away, where she saw Tommy in front of the bathroom door. meowing at her. When she moved to the side to let him through, he charged at her with his claws out, hissed, and then walked away. She ran into the bedroom, and we closed the door. Co-Foster went out after 10 minutes to grab anti-bacterial cream. Tommy then charged at her, drawing blood and hissing and she then ran into the bedroom. After 30 minutes, Co-foster brought him to the bathroom and closed the door to isolate him. After an hour, another guest came up, and everyone was in the living room talking at the dining table. Co-foster had let him out of the bathroom and started playing with him with the wand. He seemed to be happily participating. A guest then took over and started playing with him. Co-Foster walked to her bedroom and he speedily followed her, and charged. His eyes went wide, he started screaming, and he jumped on her leg with his claws out. He drew a lot of blood that time and left bruises on her thigh. He then scurried away and sat on the dining table with an angry look on his face. If someone tried to go near him, he would let out a low growl. We then all left the apartment one by one to give him space." Overall, Dr. Tom appears to be a sensitive cat susceptible to overstimulation. He likely has a learning history from his past home and bite/scratch incident leading him have a lower threshold and resort to first scratching and biting when he feels threatened or overwhelmed. The behavior team has monitored for signs of overstimulation while in care as he has adjusted to his environment. While his behaviors in shelter appear to show a decreased reactivity, it should be noted that he prefers contact on his own terms with strangers (something that may extend to his adopting family as he adjusts to his new home). Based on the 4 incidents, Tom appears to have a high level of sensitivity to environmental triggers (covering the 5 senses), as well as a high level of fear relating to interactions with strangers and unexpected movements or actions. Fosters may have also been re-traumatizing him to strangers w/ tests with new guests/strangers as he has previously shown a fear/startle response that results in bites.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : New Hope Only

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Single-pet home,Adult only home

Recommendations comments:: Due to Dr. Tom-Ato's previous scratch/bite incident potential being due to a fear/startle reflex and his rough play - the behavior team feels he would do best in an adult-only home. Noted to be shy and timid around the other cats he previously lived with, the behavior team would recommend that he go to a single pet home.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 5/18/26 On approach, Dr. Tom-Ato is laying curled in his box with a mostly neutral face and body, ears forward and pupils slightly dilated. When the scratcher tool is offered out to him slowly, he sniffs it and as the assessor begins to pet him, he is tolerant of touch but pulls his head in and lays down flat with his ears slightly tilted. He tolerates pets along his head and side but remains in place and turns to sniff the tool after a moment. He appears to display signs of potential overstimulation when pet along his side. When the assessor begins to pet his cheeks with the tool, he begins to lean in and his face softens, also allowing and leaning into pets along his cheeks with their hand. He does remain somewhat tense so pick up is not attempted at the time. 5/8/26 Upon meeting with him again, Dr. Tom-Ato is sitting at the front of his cage with a neutral face and body, ears forward, eyes neutral. He sniffs the hand offered out to him, accepting and leaning into all pets with his tail raised and moving back and forth. Although his tail sways, he shows no significant signs of overstimulation such as quick flicking or twitching of his tail, or thumping. During petting, he head bunts and really noses/nuzzles his face into the assessor's hands, accepting pets for a long time. When pick up is attempted, he somewhat but is tolerant and afterwards, his eyes are wide and pupils dilated. His body is slightly tense but he eats the treats offered and allows more pets. 10/18/26 On approach, Dr. Tom-Ato is in his den and hidden from view but steps out and approaches the front with a neutral face and body, ears forward and tail raised. He sniffs the hand offered to him and leans his head and cheeks into pets with no increased tension or wariness. The assessor then places some treats down and he begins to eat the treats easily as they pet along his back multiple times without issue as well. All petting and interaction to this point has been done with a considerate approach, and a focus on his body language and level of comfortability. When he is offered the assessor's hand again, he sniffs and leans into head and cheek pets again. He allows the assessor to lift him up and place him back down without issue, and eats more treats offered. Once finished he returns to his den. Dr. Tom-Ato presents with behaviors that if based purely off of this assessment would qualify him for a Level 2* evaluation - however due his initial reason for entering the shelter, initial behavior as he adjusted during his first stay, bite/scratch hx and initial reactivity in the trial adopter/fosters home, and continued sensitivity to his environment and strangers which can result in significant overstimulation (in every sense of the term, not exclusively touch), he would not be the best fit for adoption. Due to the full context of his behaviors, difficulty to manage, lack of presentation in shelter- Rescue Placement is the best option