Animal Profile

Ember is on the At Risk list due to behavior. She is an under socialized adult cat, is not thriving in the care center, and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. She has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to her stress levels, it is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give her plenty of time and space to adjust/decompress, and who have experience with helping a fearful/under socialized adult cat adjust to strangers.

Let's get to know each other a bit more...

This pet needs emergency placement. Please click here to go to our emergency placement page for more information. Ember is on the At Risk list due to behavior. She is an under socialized adult cat, is not thriving in the care center, and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. She has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to her stress levels, it is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give her plenty of time and space to adjust/decompress, and who have experience with helping a fearful/under socialized adult cat adjust to strangers. Ember is an adult cat that may not have had many interactions with humans from an early age. He is apprehensive of people and while he may hiss, he is showing no aggressive behaviors, he appears wary of human contact. It is difficult to predict if he will respond to socialization but we recommend offering high value treats and food to help build a positive association to humans. Please be mindful that older cats will require more time and skill in order for them to be comfortable around people. Due to the behaviors seen in the care center, we feel that this cat will do best in an experienced, adult only home. A volunteer writes: Ember's always at the top of my list of cats to visit and though I never quite seem to make it to his list of preferred visitors, I'll keep trying. Ember came to us from a home with many other cats and in his efforts to settle into Care Center life, has tried and tried to make the most of things. Since he hasn't felt all that ready to be out and about just yet, Ember's favorite thing at the moment is loafing with pizzazz on his perch. His pose is more of an extended loaf that gives him a view of Adoptions while still kind of hiding himself. Ember wraps his tail tightly around his cat body and once he's there, he's pretty set. Uninterested in treats and usually hissing in response to my offers of pets, building a friendship with Ember is slow going, but very important. It's entirely possible that Ember hasn't had many opportunities to meet new people, and yet, he's still hoping to meet you.

My medical notes are...

Weight: 8.8 lbs

Medical Notes

3/23/2025

[DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 2-4 years old Microchip noted on Intake? No History: Hoarding environment Subjective: WILL FLEE, but doesn't show aggression Is there evidence of Cruelty? no Is there evidence of Neglect? no Is there evidence of Trauma? no Objective P = wnl R = wnl BCS = 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears not examined- in net, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: Not examined - in net PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: Intact male, both testicles palpated and descended MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Externally normal Assessment: Apparently healthy Prognosis: Good Plan: Neuter and continue to monitor while in care SURGERY: Okay for surgery

3/26/2025

[Surgery Template - Cat Neuter] Was this cat a Cryptorchid? no If so, describe surgical process: Routine Feline Neuter Self tie of spermatic cord Green Linear Tattoo Placed near Midline Surgeon: 990665 Additional Note:

4/10/2025

Start gabapentin 100 mg PO BID for FAS in shelter

4/16/2025

Progress exam: Inappetence noted on rounds board Subjective: QAR, no C/S/V/D. Inappetence seen (untouched food in kennel) Objective: EYES: Clear, no discharge. OU watery LUNGS: Eupneic, no sign of respiratory distress NASAL CAVITY: clear serous discharge MUSCULOSKELETAL: Ambulatory x4, no lameness or lesions NEURO: Appropriate mentation ASSESSMENT: Presumed URI PLAN: Per standing orders -Under the weather, ppe sign & monitor log placed on kennel -Start doxy 50mg/ml PO q24h x10days & medical feedings PO q12h x5days -CTM, recheck in 3 days

4/18/2025

Continued inappetence and lethargy noted on rounds. Starting supportive care x 3 days: -LRS SQ 100ml q24h -Cerenia 0.4ml SQ q24h -Mirtazapine transdermal q24h

4/22/2025

Patient BAR-QAR, hiding in back of kennel, wide eyes. No active c/s/v/d, mild congestion appreciated. Medical feeding untouched but medication tray appears to have been eaten. Assessment: -URI -Hyporexia/anorexia (r/o FAS component) Plan: -continue gabapentin 20 mg/kg PO q12h indefinitely -Continue doxycycline 10 mg/kg PO q24h until 4/27 -Okay to d/c supportive care to minimize handling, monitor appetite closely

4/23/2025

Recheck appetite - QAR, no c/s/v/d noted, empty wet food tray, med tray appears untouched (note on rounds board from 4/21 - not eating meds). Plan: Discontinue gabapentin due to not eating meds, CTM closely on rounds and recheck as scheduled.

4/23/2025

See previous note re: gabapentin

4/28/2025

Progress exam: URI day 10 recheck Subjective: BAR, no C/S/V/D noted. Eating great Objective: EYES: Clear, no discharge LUNGS: Eupneic, no sign of respiratory distress NASAL CAVITY: no discharge MUSCULOSKELETAL: Ambulatory x4, no lameness or lesions NEURO: Appropriate mentation ASSESSMENT: Presumed URI appears resolved PLAN: Per standing orders -Removed URI signage from kennel -CTM on daily rounds while in QACC

Details on my behavior are...

Behavior Condition: 3. Yellow

Behavior History
Behavior Assessment

KNOWN HISTORY:: Ember was brought in from a hoarding situation with limited information on his behavior history in a home environment.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 3/27/25 FB79 On the top part of her kennel, Ember lays with a loose body, forward ears and almond eyes. She has no care fore treats and hisses when i reach in to place some down for her. She does not allow any petting and starts to wrap her tail around her body as she curls up in the corner and lip licks. 3/30/25 Vol. Salamander was in her bed. She moved back when the door was opened. She hissed and jumped up onto the shelf. I spoke to her and offered Squeeze Up in a tray. She did not eat it until I walked away for a moment. When I returned, she was eating the treats. I put the scratcher towards her and she hissed and moved away. Her next door neighbor, Mochi (218934), was standing on her hind legs, touching Salamander with her paws through the ventilation holes on the side of the kennel. She didn’t respond to the cat, but she does seem to be generally fearful. 4/4/25 FB61 On perch upon approach, body and face tense. She hisses and backs away when petting is attempted so I don't push it... she is also uninterested in the treats or the catnip toy offered. I use the bubble gun for visual enrichment and she shifts her ears forward and watches the bubbles with an alert expression, head tilting as she remains focused. Appears to respond to play therapy and visual enrichment! 4/6/25 FB79 Ember continues to display similar fearful behaviors as stated in the previous enrichment note. She is on the top part of her kennel with a neutral face and body but hisses as her eyes wide and ears tilt when i open the kennel door and place treats down in front of her. The room is very loud today so i do not attempt to pet. 4/8/25 FB58 Sitting curled up with a tense face and body towards the back of his shelf. He hisses when the cage door is opened and as dry treats are lightly tossed onto the shelf. Before any further interaction can be had, he moves to flee and I end the interaction to prevent building a negative association. I put him on the gaba list. 4/11/25 FB61 Very skittish boy. He is on his perch with a tense body and face and his paws placed right in front of him. He hisses continuously as I open the kennel door and he retreats suddenly into his cubby when offered treats. Very apprehensive of interaction at this time. When I check on him later I see the remainder of the treats have been eaten. 4/13/25 Vol. Ember was on the shelf in the bread loaf position. He hissed when I opened the kennel door. I put treats near him and he hissed each time he saw my hand go towards him. I used a pipe cleaner to pet him and he hissed each time he felt its touch. He seems to need more time to adjust. 4/18/25 FB61 Today Ember is clearly down bad with a URI. He tries to retreat when I offer treats and I do not push a hands-on interaction at this time. He does relax and watch the wand toy curiously as I wave it around the room. 4/24/25 FB79 Today, Ember was perched at the top of her kennel with forward ears and neutral eyes. GANNNN ---

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Subdued

VOCAL:: Quiet

CHARACTER TYPE: : Shy ,Timid,Skittish,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Fearful,New home adjustment period,Adult cat socialization

Potential challenges comments:: Ember came from a home with about 20+ other cats, it is likely that he was not appropriately socialized to humans. "Spirit cats" in a shelter context refer to cats who are very shy with people, preferring to live in a quiet environment and interacting with other cats rather than humans. They are often a good choice for patient, kind individuals who can create a safe and comfortable space for them to thrive. We cannot be certain whether or not Ember will warm up to socialization in shelter or in a home environment and clients should be counseled on the potential of Ember being a Spirit Cat.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Adult only home

Recommendations comments:: Due to the behavior seen in shelter and needing a longer time to warm up, the behavior team feels Ember would do best in an adult-only home where they would be able to acclimate in a calm environment.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 03/25/25: On approach, Ember is laying at the back of the cage and curled up with a tense face and body, eyes wide and dilated, and tail wrapped tightly. When the assessor offers out the scratcher tool slowly, he tenses and hisses but tolerates touch while hissing periodically. Pick up is not attempted. 04/24/25 Ember is a shy, timid, and independent cat whose behavior has made minor improvement during the past month in shelter since his initial evaluation. He was lying down on top of the den with his front limbs extended, focused on the assessor with a tense body and wide eyes. When spoken to and opening the door, he hisses and steps back. He sniffs treats offered on the scratcher tool and hisses again when pet on the head and receiving cheek rubs. When stroking his body, he looks back and lip licks. When reaching close to pet with the assessor's hand, he hisses and lip licks again. He tolerates petting on the head and cheeks for about 1 minute and eventually slow blinks at the end. Pick up was not attempted in order to reduce stress. Ember is an adult cat that may not have had many interactions with humans from an early age. He is apprehensive of people and while he may hiss, he is showing no aggressive behaviors, he appears wary of human contact. It is difficult to predict if he will respond to socialization but we recommend offering high value treats and food to help build a positive association to humans. Please be mindful that older cats will require more time and skill in order for them to be comfortable around people. Due to the behaviors seen in the care center, we feel that this cat will do best in an experienced, adult only home.