KNOWN HISTORY:: Gandalf was brought in as a stray, there is no known information on his behavior history in a home environment. Upon intake, he did not want to be scanned or touched. They hissed and attempted to swat after being placed in den.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 4/7/26 FB73 Gandalf is sitting upright at the back of his den, pressing his body close to the back wall, eyes wide, pupils dilated, body tense and ears slightly back as the handler approaches. When the kennel door is opened and the den cover is lifted, he begins to low growl. Petting is attempted with the scratcher tool and he hisses, immediately lunging forward to swat hard at the tool. The handler attempts to offer squeeze up on a tray and he does not respond to it, again swatting hard at the tool as they attempt to slowly slide the tray towards him. Interaction is ended to reduce FAS. 04/14/26 FB47 Gandalf began growling, lip licking, and trembling when spoken to, and I gave him catnip. 04/21/26 Vol. Growling inside his den when I approached kennel. Attempted to give him Squeeze-ups but he wasn’t interested. Growled at the laser and the cat dancer. Wasn’t interested in eating tuna. Ignored mouse rolled in catnip. Never came out of his den. Growled during the entire interaction. 4/23/26 FB20 Gandalf is inside his den. When the cover is lifted he strikes forward. A scratcher with squeeze up is extended, he does not sniff and backs up into the kennel. The squeeze up is left for him and the tool is withdrawn. He strikes at the cover as it is placed back on. 04/25/26 FB47 Gandolf was in the den and began hissing when the cover was lifted, and then began chuffing while sitting up and appearing extremely. Treats were left in the den. 4/30/26 Gandalf hissed and spat from inside the den when approached through the side portal door, indicating defensiveness. He showed some curiosity toward the laser but did not engage or sustain interest during the play session. 5/1/26 FB09 Gandalf was lying in his den and hissed upon opening the kennel door. He retreated to the back of his den when offered treats, dilated eyes locked on the click stick, ears back with his tail curled close to his body. He hissed once more when the handler lowered his den cover. 05/02/26 FB47 Gandolf was in the den, appearing stressed with large pupils and a fearful expression. They struggled slightly and backed up as the den cover was removed and appeared unwilling to interact, so treats were left. 5/9/26 Vol. In den throughout interaction. Offered dry treats on scratcher tool, swatted and left them inside den. Lifted cover, facing forward and jerked forward. Growling. Offered lickable treat on scratcher tool. Sniffed but didn't eat any. 5/13/26 Vol. Gandalf is in his den and can be heard low growling and pouncing at the den cover when approached. He poked his head out of the den, with ears up, whiskers down and pupils very wide to access the purée treats twice, then scanned the room beyond the kennel, and retreated back into the den, grumbling. He continued to poke his head out, wide eyed. Still reserved. CONTINUED IN GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Subdued

VOCAL:: Quiet

CHARACTER TYPE: : Bold,Shy ,Timid,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Fearful,New home adjustment period

Potential challenges comments:: Gandalf has displayed fearful behavior during their stay in the care center and has displayed distance-increasing behavior with extended handling. Fear aggression can occur when a cat perceives a threat and may escalate if they cannot escape. A fearful cat will feel more relaxed when given options, so provide him with the chance to move closer, investigate, or interact with you. Be sure to offer incentive such as treats or play time whenever the cat makes a small positive step. Please speak to an adoption counselor for additional information on methods to desensitize your cat to their fear stimulus. Gandalf should be given a slow introduction to the home, one room at a time starting in a small room like a bathroom with food, litter and water because behaviors seen at the Care Center [handling avoidance, hides in den, distance increasing behaviors] strongly suggest that he will hide if allowed. Interact with him in this room until he seems sufficiently confident that you feel you can introduce him to the next part of the home without running the risk that he will hide. Please speak to an adoption counselor for additional information on methods to help introduce your cat to the home.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Adult only home

Recommendations comments:: Due to behavior observed in the care center, an adult only home is recommended.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 4/6/26 Gandalf is sitting upright in the back of his den, body pressed against the back wall, eyes wide, pupils dilated, and body tense as the assessor approaches. When the kennel door is opened, he remains tense and unmoving. Petting is attempted with the scratcher tool, and he immediately begins to hiss and intensely swat at the scratcher tool repeatedly. The assessor attempts to offer treats while speaking softly to him, but he begins to low growl. Interaction is ended to reduce FAS. 5/6/26 Gandalf was lying in his den and hissed upon opening the kennel door. He retreated to the back of his den when offered treats, dilated eyes, ears back with his tail curled close to his body and low growling. The handler held out the Squeeze-up covered click stick in front of him for a while as he slowly calmed down, cautiously stepped forward and sniffed the treats. He began licking up the squeeze-ups, eyes still dilated but slightly softer now. After sitting with him for a while, when he finished his treats, the handler gently started petting his cheek with the click stick, which he remained in place, eyes dilated but unmoving. When transitioning to a pet along his head, he remained still but his low growling resumed, so the handler ended the interaction there to not escalate FAS. Gandalf has been showing improvement since his first evaluation. Gandalf tolerates attention and petting but may be fearful or stressed in the shelter, and may be intimidated by small children. He may be a little more independent, and may need time to warm up to his new home. Due to the behaviors seen in the care center, we feel that this cat will do best in an experienced, adult only home.