KNOWN HISTORY:: Tuxedo Sam was brought in as a stray; there is no known information on her behavior history in a home environment. Upon intake, Tuxedo Sam allowed all handling.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: PRIOR ASSESSMENT 3/8/26 Tuxedo Sam is laying in her den, eyes wide and pupils dilated, poking her head out of the portal exit and hissing as the assessor approaches. When the kennel door is opened and the den cover is lifted, she backs into the back corner of the den and begins to repeatedly stress meow. Tuxedo Sam is tolerant of all petting with the scratcher tool but flinches, hisses, leans away, and attempts to flee out of the den. When the assessor goes to close the kennel door, Tuxedo Sam runs out of the den, attempting to flee before reaching the kennel door, laying down, and begins to repeatedly stress meow, pupils heavily dilated. 3/12/26 FB32 Hiding in den crouched down with tense body and wide eyes. Steps back when reaching close, but sniffs treats offered on scratcher tool. Allow petting on the head, cheeks, and body and when applying gentle upward pressure on her side and chest, but stress meows, leans back, and stands her ground. When reaching into the den with my hand, she stress meows, leans back, and then swats (no claws) and hisses at my hand. 3/13/26 Vol. tuxedo Sam was crouched inside den, looking out with wide dilated eyes. She withdrew further into den when approached. She sat quietly, out of sight in den, and did not show interest in a feather toy or squeeze up on scratcher tool. When den cover was briefly lifted, she pressed herself into back corner of den with a tense body and wide dilated eyes. 3/15/26 FB32 Hiding in den crouched down with tense body and wide eyes. Ignores treats offered, sits up and tilts ears sideways when pet on the head and cheeks. Looks back, hisses, lip licks, and softly stress meows when stroking his body. Kept interaction short to reduce stress. 03/16/26 FB47 Tuxedo Sam’s hunched in the back of the kennel, weary with large pupils and did not sniff treats or cabinet. She allowed brief petting with a scratcher tool but did not seem to appreciate it, and the interaction was ended after giving her a little bit of laser enrichment. Did not attempt to flee. 3/20/26 Vol. Tuxedo Sam was inside den, away from opening. She briefly came to opening to sniff squeeze up on scratcher tool, but did not eat, then retreated further into den. She did not show interest in a feather toy. When den cover was briefly lifted, she sat upright at back of den, pressing herself against back wall, with wide dilated eyes. She tolerated shoulder rubs with scratcher tool but shrank away from attempted petting on head. 3/22/26 ACFR Tuxedo Sam was hiding in den with wide eyes and tense body. she very slowly leaned her head out to eat squeeze up from tool, remaining very tense. Allowed brief chin rubs with tool before returning to den. Did not hiss, growl, or swat. GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Lively

VOCAL:: Talkative

CHARACTER TYPE: : Shy ,Timid,Skittish

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Fearful,Kitten socialization,New home adjustment period

Potential challenges comments:: Tuxedo Sam has been very skittish and has displayed fearful behavior during their stay in the care center. She 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 her 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. Tuxedo Sam is a young cat that may not have had many interactions with humans from an early age. She may be apprehensive of people, but the behavior team believes she has potential to warm up to people. Kittens less than 8 weeks of age can be socialized by almost anyone; however, kittens between 2-4 months may require more time and skill in order for them to be comfortable around people. Please speak to an adoption counselor to learn more about socialization techniques.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: No young children

Recommendations comments:: Tuxedo Sam has been very fearful and skittish during her stay at the care center and may be intimidated by young children. No children under age 13, respectful older children only.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: Tuxedo Sam is sitting upright in the back of her den, eyes wide, pupils dilated, and body tense as the assessor approaches. When the kennel door is opened and the den cover is lifted, she backs herself further into the corner. She is tolerant of all petting with the scratcher tool but remains tense and leans away to avoid contact. She does not engage with the contact and is unable to be coaxed out of the den. Interaction is ended to reduce stress. Tuxedo Sam 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 this cat go to a home with experienced cat parents. Due to the behavior shown, she may not be a great fit for young children. Any home with older children prepared to adopt this cat should conduct a thorough interaction and endeavor to monitor this cat around their children to prevent these behaviors from being reinforced.