KNOWN HISTORY:: Happy was brought in without information on his behavior history in a home environment.

MEDICAL BEHAVIOR:: 8/17/19 Nervous. He was hissing and he tried to flee.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 8/18/19 Sitting upright near the back of the kennel with body sideways. Makes eye contact with dilated pupils and tenses up when opening the door. Doesn’t come forward when coaxed with treats and hisses at the scratcher then shifts away from touch. Very tense. Not ready to interact yet. 8/19/19 Curled up inside hidey box with head squeezed by one of the corners. Looks out with wide and dilated eyes when coaxed, and then focuses on assessor scratcher tool as it extends. Flinches when offering chicken fillet and doesn't eat it, extremely tense and wary. Not ready for interaction yet so offered shoreline cover. 8/20/19 Hiding in his hidey box. Hisses on approach. Makes eye contact with dilated pupils. Offered chicken fillet but doesn’t eat it. Left some treats for when the interaction ends. Still very fearful. Needs more time to adjust. 8/21/19 Curled up in hidey box, but becomes stiff and alert when door opens and focuses on assessor with dilated eyes. Remains frozen as scratcher tool extends toward him and looks around, but hisses once touched and shifts away, lip licking. Offered treats but still very nervous and unsure. 8/22/19 Hiding in his hidey box. Makes eye contact with wide pupils and hisses when opening the door. Doesn’t eat the treats offered nor comes out of the box. Sniffs the scratcher when extended and allows gentle strokes on the head today without shifting away. Still fearful but looks a bit less stressed today. 8/28/19 Hiding in the hidey box on approach, eyes wide, anxiously looking around. With a slow approach he hisses at the assess-a-hand, but accepts pets and while he remains wary with his surroundings. 9/15/19 Hiding in his den. Makes eye contact with wide pupils as a sign of stress. Doesn’t come out when coaxed with treats nor eats them in place. Left some treats for when the interaction ends and sprayed some feliway. Gave some toys with catnip to see if he would come out of his den later. Stressed. Hasn’t acclimated to the shelter.

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Moderate

VOCAL:: Quiet

CHARACTER TYPE: : Shy ,Timid,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Fearful

Potential challenges comments:: Happy 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.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Adult only home

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: Happy is extremely fearful in the care center and has not warmed up to his care takers. He shies away and may hiss at times to avoid interaction, but will continue to allow gentle petting with a very slow approach. He has escalated to biting/scratching when pushed past his comfort threshold, but generally remains curled up in a hidey box and focuses on visitors with a tense body. Happy tolerates attention and petting but is fearful/stressed in the shelter, and may be intimidated by small children. He may be a little more independent, and will 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. Due to Happy's stress levels in this kennel environment, we recommend that he move into a stable home environment as quickly as possible.