KNOWN HISTORY:: Meow Chow was brought in as a stray; there is no known information on his behavior history in a home environment.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 3/18/26 ACFR IN den when the handler approached. Meow Chow immediately hissed at the scratcher tool. He displayed a stiff, tense body and lip licked while squirming to avoid being pet in the den and was stress meowing as well. 3/19/26 Vol. Laying in his privacy den that had no cover. He was afraid of the clicker at first but then ate a Squeeze-up from it. He then moved to the back of the den and his ears flattened. He hissed a bit when I put a dish of tuna in the den, but then he decided he liked it and ate the whole bowl. Able to scratch his head with the tool for several minutes. He enjoyed licking the Purr Pops. Not interested in playing at this time. 3/24/26 Vol. Hiding in his privacy den and poking his head out occasionally. Stress meowed when I opened the kennel door. Wasn’t interested in eating Squeeze-ups. Put dish of tuna into the den and he immediately started to eat it. Meowed at the cat dancer but didn’t want to play with it. Never came out of his den. 3/27/26 Vol. In hidey box, curled by entry, ear resting. Stayed by entry the whole time, no stress meows. Put in treat bowl, he raised head, eyes and ears normal - peering out - ignored bowl. Approached with hard treats on scratcher tool - he snifed and pulled back a little. Let tool rest and Meow Chow let his head drop as if to ignore what was there - leaving ear and cheek close to entry. Dropped treat and moved tool closer - he did not move. Touched very briefly and he moved his head slowly. Removed tool and ended interaction. Lots of sweet talk and Feliway square 3/31/26 Softly responsive and curious; sniffed the scratcher tool from the den and accepted treats while tolerating gentle head pets throughout the interaction. 03/31/26 FB47 Meow Chow was inside his den, appearing a little bit tense with sideways ears, but he slow blinked a couple of times and sniffed treats, and then allowed petting on his head while eating squeeze-ups. When the squeeze-up treat was brought outside the den, he extended his head out to eat it, but didn’t want petting at this point and would retreat back into the den when petting was attempted. 4/3/26 Vol. In top cubby - hissed and mewed when reading kennel card. Put treat bowl by cubby entry - he meowed and meatloafed. Opened cubby door and approached with hard treats on tool - he hissed and continued to meow. Allowed head scratches with tool, meowing until he rearranged himself more comfortably and then he stopped. He allowed scratches and meowed when stopped. Gave plenty and ended interaction. 4/5/26 Vol. In cubby, behind privacy cover. Hissed, meowed, and backed away when door was opened. Briefly sniffed a cup of treats and squeeze-up, but didn't eat, even when left alone for a few minutes. Continued meowing with the door open. Sniffed the scratcher tool, then allowed head scratches. Remained mostly passive, but stopped meowing and did blink a few times. Did not seek further attention when stopped. ~ GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Subdued

VOCAL:: Somewhat chatty

CHARACTER TYPE: : Shy ,Timid,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Fearful,New home adjustment period

Potential challenges comments:: Meow Chow 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/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. Meow Chow 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 [shy, avoids handling, timid, stress meows, may flee] 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:: No young children

Recommendations comments:: Meow Chow has been fearful and avoidant of handling during his stay at the care center. No children under age 13, respectful older children only.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 3/16/26 Meow Chow is laying in his den, body tense and pupils dilated as the assessor approaches. When the kennel door is opened and the den cover is lifted, he backs up, pressing himself against the back wall, whiskers forward. He is tolerant of all petting on the head and cheeks with the scratcher tool but remains very tense and moves as if to flee towards the portal exit. When the scratcher tool is slowly pulled away, Meow Chow begins to stress meow. Interaction is ended to reduce FAS. 4/16/26 Meow Chow is in his cubby with flattened ears and dilated eyes. He stress meows in repetitions until assessor places a tray of squeeze up in front of him. He eats squeeze up readily and allows a few pets on his cheeks while eating. Once finished with the treats he backs away from the assessor and stress meows again. Assessor leaves him with more squeeze up that he eats and the interaction is ended. Meow Chow tolerates attention and petting but appears fearful or stressed in the shelter. He may be a little more independent and may need time to warm up to his new home. We recommend this cat go to a home with experienced cat parents. Due to the behavior shown, he 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.