KNOWN HISTORY:: Chickpea was brought in as a stray, there is no known information on her behavior history in a home environment.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 5/15/26 FB09 Chickpea was sitting in her den, tail curled around her body and low growling when the door opened. She cautiously sniffed the treats offered to her before licking them up, returning some slow blinks. After eating treats, she resumed low growling and cautiously shifted away from the click stick. 5/16/26 Vol. Lying down facing forward in den when approached. when door opened and spoken to - sitting. offered dry treats on scratcher tool almost swatted, then ignored. Ate lickable treat offered on scratcher tool, then ate the dry treats that were left nearby. offered more squeeze up and pieces of chicken. will stick head partially out of den opening to eat treats but not much further out.   5/17/26 Vol. Curled up in back of den, without privacy cover. Leaned forward to sniff a cup of Temptations and squeeze-up dropped into den, then hissed and lip-licked. Checked back after 5+ minutes and had not moved or eaten. Loosely followed the cat dancer but did not get up or interact. Used a blanket to cover the front of the den to help her relax, she grumbled and struck in den while doing so. 5/20/26 Vol. Chickpea is in her den. On lifting the den cover, she was found in loaf looking forward cautiously, remaining calm. I turned my back, and when I returned, she was poking her head out of the portal, ears up, whiskers back, eyes neutral, and readily licked the puree on the tool while staying in the den. She attempted to grab the tool the second time. After a short reset, she could be heard low growling from inside the den. Treat motivated but not yet confident. 5/22/26 Vol. Chickpea was lying on top of den with front paws curled under her body. Her eyes and ears were neutral. She leaned forward to sniff treats on scratcher tool, then waited to eat until tool was withdrawn and kennel door closed. She came forward a bit, remaining on top of den. When offered a feather toy, her pupils dilated and she crouched down playfully. She played interactively with the feather toy for several minutes, moving around to grab and bite at it. Her movements were animated, but she was respectful about not swatting my hands. She eventually took the toy and brought it inside den to continue playing on her own. 5/24/26 ACFR Chickpea was sleeping on top of her den. She raised her head and softly meowed at handler when kennel door was opened but stayed in place. She allowed handler to slowly place hard treats in front of her, which she quickly ate. She then ate hard treats directly from handler's hand but kept a tense body. Another staff member then entered the room loudly, to which Chickpea quickly hissed, swatted hard with claws, and began to growl. (did not break skin). Handler disengaged and waited for her to settle, then left more treats in front of her and ended interaction. CONTINUED IN GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Mellow

VOCAL:: Quiet

CHARACTER TYPE: : Calm,Timid,Skittish,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Pet-induced aggression,New home adjustment period

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Adult only home

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 5/12/26 Chickpea remained crouched in the den and allowed petting through the side portal using the scratcher tool, though low growling was noted. Body posture stiffened during interaction with ears erect and forward. She remained wary throughout the assessment with frequent lip licking and ignored offered treats. 6/15/26 Chickpea was in the den sleeping, looked at the assessor calmly when she woke up and then was gently coaxed out of the den with treats. The assessor went to go pet her and got one pet in and then Chickpea swatted him, but did not cause injury. Initially Chickpea solicits some attention, but after a single pet she swatted at the assessor. This may be a sign of petting-induced aggression, where repeated physical contact results in discomfort for the cat, or it may be a sign of overstimulation. As a result of this observed behavior we recommend adopters who are familiar with signs of behavioral arousal and agitation in cats, so that interactions can be ended before she becomes reactive which is almost immediately. Treats should be used to reward appropriate responses to physical attention. For information on petting-induced aggression, see this article: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/petting-induced-aggression and https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/aggression-cats Chickpea tolerates attention and petting but appears fearful or stressed in the shelter. She may be a little more independent, and may need time to warm up to her new home. We recommend that this cat go to a home with experienced cat parents who are well counseled on petting induced aggression.