KNOWN HISTORY:: 12/19/25 On 10.06.2025 at around 9 PM, Previous owner was petting Misty. Misty suddenly had airplane ears and tensed. The adopter backed up as Misty hesitated but then Misty lunged. He nipped and swatted the top of the adopter's left foot before running away. The nip did not break skin but the swat left 1 scratch that broke skin. The adopter self-treated and cleaned at home. Previous owner was petting Misty. He nipped and swatted the top of adopter's left foot before running away. On 10.07.2025 10 PM, After feeding Misty, a second adult reached down to pick up the bowl to add more food. Misty swatted at her and scratched left ankle. Comments: On 10.11.2025 at around 2 PM, previous adopter picked Misty up with gloves and a towel to place into carrier. Misty allowed this but once placed in carrier, he turned around and swatted Christian's arm. The swat left one scratch on Christian's right forearm which broke skin. He self-treated and cleaned at home. ______________________________________________________ Lived Indoors Previously lived with: 1 adult Behavior toward strangers: Shy and timid. Prefers contact on their own terms. Behavior toward children: No experience. Behavior toward cats: Shy & timid. Behavior toward dogs: No experience. Bite or Scratch history: No bite/scratch history. Litter box training: Yes Energy level/descriptors: Medium Other notes: Misty is a friendly and affectionate indoor cat who is shy, timid and prefers contact on their own terms. They enjoys spending most of their time in the kitchen of their home and scratching on wooden surfaces. Misty mostly eats wet food and is not picky with brands. They are accustomed to having access to an uncovered litterbox with clumping litter located in a quiet area of the home. Upon intake the cat was very shut down and only stress meowed faintly. Staff was easily able to scan for mc, collar, pet and place in kennel.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 9/23/25 FB20 Misty is inside his den low growling. He hisses when scratcher tool is reached towards den portal. He reaches to sniff tool and looks towards staff member with a tense face. When the tool moves closer, Misty hisses and swats at tool, growling. 10/14/25 FB61 In cat den upon approach, body and face neutral with his feet and tail tucked. I am unable to coax him out of her den at this time and she does not show immediate interest in the treats or catnip toy offered. He is tolerant of petting along her chin and cheeks with the scratcher tool today while tensing and tilting her ears. I keep hands-on interaction brief at this time to reduce stress. Inside of his den, Misty lays with his eyes dilated, forward ears and wide eyes; he fixates on the assessor as they speak and he starts to lip lick; he was has no reaction to the treats that are tossed near the the den opening but maintains his tense body with his back arched. 10/21/25 FB06 As I opened the kennel door, Misty is in his den in a loaf position with wide eyes. As I offered the scratcher tool, He poked his head out, sniffed the scratcher and then poked his head back into the den. I then placed some crunchy treats on the tool and reintroduced it. He poked his head out again, gave a little sniff and a light swat. Dropping the treats, he began to eat them and I was able to pet him on the head with the scratcher and he was unbothered by it. 10/24/25 FB58 Out on the shelf with a neutral face and body, ears forward - he chirps and trills with when he sees me, but ducks into his den when the cage door is opened. Able to coax him back out of the den and to the cubby with a tray of squeeze ups. I attempt to clicker train for touch while eating but but is too wary, moving back into the den. I move the tray closer with the scratcher and I am able to sneak the tool over his head for clicker training. Able to pet for a bit and ducks back in and raises his paw. I end the interaction. 10/28/25 FB06 Misty was standing at the front of the kennel watching me making my way around the room. As I opened the door, he backed away and retreated to his den. As I offered him the scratcher he poked his head out and gave it a light swat. I then offered it to him with treats and took interest and sniffed. I then placed a tray of treats and he came out of the den to eat them. I pet him on the head and back with the tool and he gave butt lift when pet by his tail. After a few moments of continuous petting he let out a few short grumbles. 10/31/25 FB58 Out in his cage, trilling and open to interactions. He comes down and to the front of the cage on his own. I offer squeeze up through the door and he begins to eat. I am able to open the cubby door with him standing partly in the cubby as I begin sneaking the tool in to attempt to pet as he eats. He sniffs the tool and is initially wary but arches up as I begin to pet and accepts some pets before he starts to get overstimulated. GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Lively

VOCAL:: Talkative

CHARACTER TYPE: : Bold,Social,Sweet,Affectionate,People oriented,Skittish

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Overstimulation,Fearful,New home adjustment period,Carrier aversion

Potential challenges comments:: Please see behavior flyers for more information. Misty has a bite history. Please see known history for more details. Due to behaviors observed in shelter and the conditions surrounding each bite incident, the feline behavior team believes that Misty's displays of defensive aggression are triggered when he is overly handled during his decompression period and are due to a fear response and his potential towards overstimulation. Misty has a medical red color determination in our shelter, which indicates that he can escalate quickly to biting or scratching when handled excessively - as is the case with medical examinations and when being placed in a carrier. Misty also shows signs of overstimulation both in a home environment and in our care center. Misty's tolerance for petting or any hands-on interaction may be significantly reduced during his decompression period in a new environment. For this reason, any potential adopter should take care to limit hands-on handling of any kind until Misty has fully acclimated to his new home. There are plenty of other ways for adopter's to begin to engage with Misty to create positive associations, to promote bonding between cat and owner and to help Misty acclimate quicker. Adopter's should be counseled on how to use wand-toys and other types of play items to help Misty build confidence and to help Misty transition from a prey mindset to that of a predator. This will help reduce the risk of Misty biting or scratching due to fear or a lack of stimulation. Routine feeding is also very important, done preferably after a morning and night-time play session. Misty may approach adopter's for petting once he is brought to his new home. Petting can be initiated in this case with care taken to observe any changes in the movement of the tail or ears, any tensing of the face or other body parts, any dilation or retraction of the pupils and any signs of the fur becoming pilo-erect (raised). Biting or scratching MAY still occur if an adopter is unfamiliar with reading feline body language or if changes in the environment happen during contact (such as an item falling or a loud noise emerging from an adjacent room). Potential adopter's can be sure to carry treats around with them to break up points of potential escalation when engaging in petting with Misty during his decompression period. Misty should be rewarded with praise and a special treat when he allows all petting without escalating - this will increase his threshold for hands-on interaction over time. As time progresses with an adopter who is appropriately engaging in ritualized play therapy, environmental enrichment, routine feeding and creating positive associations, the behavior team believes that Misty's tolerance for petting will continue to increase until he begins to display the same behaviors we have observed in shelter. See behavior assessment for more details.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Adult only home

Recommendations comments:: Adult only home due to a repeat bite history in his previous home.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: 12/19/25 Misty was standing in front of his kennel as the assessor approached, body and face relaxed with his ears forward and his tail raised. Misty vocalized softly and continuously when spoken to and he continued to meow gently as the kennel door opened. Misty allowed petting along his head and body while leaning in, looking around the room and swaying his raised tail back and forth. Misty continued to arch his shoulders and lean in as petting continued and he did not escalate when lifted and placed back down. Although Misty did not escalate to biting during his assessment, which is only a small moment in time and a quick snap-shot of behavior, he does have the potential to become overstimulated and the behavior team could already see the some warning signs such as the waved tail and the fixation on the environment. Due to prior owner history (see separate notes) and a bite/scratch history we feel that this cat will do best in an experienced cat parent home with adults only.