KNOWN HISTORY:: Lived Indoors Previously lived with: Adults Behavior toward strangers: He prefers contact on his own terms and is known to be shy as well as timid which leads him to actively avoid, retreat, and if necessary, growl at new people but once he feels comfortable, he is curious and plays gently. Behavior toward children: No Experience Behavior toward cats: No Experience -behavior notes section states he dislikes cats Behavior toward dogs: No Experience -behavior notes section states he dislikes dogs Bite or Scratch history: None Litter box training: Yes, he is accustomed to having access to an uncovered litterbox with various types of litter located in a quiet area of his home. Energy level/descriptors: Medium Energy Level Other notes: He is described as a friendly, talkative, affectionate, active, and playful indoor cat who spends most of his time in the living room of his home when he is not following his people around. He plays gently, likes things that crinkle, chasing and pouncing on insects, toys, random items, and feet, and enjoys scratching on rough rope and wood surfaces. He eats both wet and dry food, preferably, Purina brand and he is not picky with treats. He is known to display defensive behaviors. Has never had his nails trimmed, coat brushed, or been placed in a carrier. He enjoys being picked up or held but has been known to stress meow, struggle, squirm, and hiss if held for too long. May attempt to escape the home if left alone for too long, is known to nip or swat if pet for too long, hides in fear, and dislikes cats and dogs.

ENRICHMENT NOTES:: 6/16/26 FB61 Big boy is hunched on his hidey box, body and face tense with his tail wrapped around his body. He tolerates petting along his head and face while remaining tense and getting up to slowly retreat further into the back of his kennel. I leave him some treats and a catnip toy, however he does not engage with the offerings while I'm in the room. Needs some more time to adjust. 6/23/26 FB61 Sitting upright in front of kennel, body and face neutral with his ears forward and his tail curled lightly around his feet. He makes eye contact when spoken to and I spend the session blowing some bubbles. He opens his eyes wider and moves his head up, down and to the side to try and watch what the bubbles float towards. When I attempt petting with the scratcher tool he retreats into his big hiding spot. I leave him a treat and some toys to engage with later. 6/26/26 FB79 Under her flip bed, Mugen has a neutral face with forward ears and when i entered the kennel he had no reaction. I spoke to him but he avoid eye contact and looked around the room with soft/almond eyes - i offered treats which he had no interest in and left him a toy. He seems very relaxed and unbothered by my presence so i didnt push contact today and just sent time near him as i typed this out on my laptop. When i existed the kennel and checked on him later the treats were gone and the toy looked moved. 7/07/26 Underneath hidey den today, body and face slightly tense with his tail wrapped around his lower body. He actually turns towards me and begins to eat the treats offered today. He takes some steps out of his hidey box and steps towards me, so I spend the remainder of the session clicking and rewarding him with more temptations when he tolerates a touch on the head! He was brave today, did very well. Will continue to build positive associations. 7/9/26 FB58 Laying in his flip bed and lifts his head with a neutral face, slow blinks and pokes his head and shoulders out to sniff and investigate the tray of treats I placed in front of him. He sniffs the tool I hold near him As he eats and backs away at my first attempt to pet, but he accepts pets on the second try! He even stretched his neck and chin out for scratches under his chin. He even lets me pet his head and cheeks with my hand and starts the lean into the touch. 7/11/26 FB47 Mugen is in his den box. When I greet him he looks at me and stretches out. He slow blinks hello. He does not want to come out of his den. I continue to talk to him for a while and leave him treats. 7/12/26 FB27 As I approach Mugen he is laid out at the front of his kennel. He moves begrudgingly as I slowly open the door. His face and body are neutral. I offer him a squeeze up treat, he is not interested. I offer him a temptation, he carefully takes it from my fingers. He eats about 8 before he decides he wants to leave the kennel. I close the door and come back to leave him some treats in a bowl. GAN

ACTIVITY LEVEL:: Subdued

VOCAL:: Quiet

CHARACTER TYPE: : Bold,Shy ,Independent

POTENTIAL CHALLENGES:: Overstimulation,Fearful,Other,New home adjustment period,Escape artist

Potential challenges comments:: His previous owner notes that he prefers contact on his own terms and is known to be shy as well as timid - which leads him to actively avoid, retreat, and if necessary, growl at new people. But once he feels comfortable, he is curious, affectionate and plays gently. They also stated that he enjoys being picked up or held but has been known to stress meow, struggle, squirm, and hiss if held for too long. He appears to possibly be an escape artist, and has a history of overstimulation. His previous owner states that he may attempt to escape the home if left alone for too long, is known to nip or swat if pet for too long, hides in fear around strangers. 6/4/26 Given that Mugen is noted to prefer contact on his own terms and if necessary (not allowed to actively avoid or retreat) will growl at new people, his reactivity to touch and the assessment interaction follows the behaviors expected and described by his owner, as he is also noted to display defensive behaviors. It is suggested that when he is comfortable, his sweeter, affectionate, and playful side comes out. 6/5/26 While the behavior team does feel that Mugen does have the potential to warm up as when left alone in his kennel he sits with a neutral face and body. It should be noted that in shelter at this time, he does not allow touch and can escalate very quickly to a high level of FAS and thus a high level of Defensive Aggression when needing to be handling. The Behavior Team assisted with transferring Mugen from Feline Pre-exam to Cat Holding and Mugen began to hiss, low growl and swat at the clear stick as a staff member was just pulling and removing items from his cage. When another staff member began the process of netting him, he immediately began to stress vocalize (yowling), while swatting and pushing the net down with force, biting and holding onto the net, lunging, growling, hissing, and evading multiple attempts to be caught in the net. The process of getting him into the net took over 3-4 minutes and he remained at this heightened level of FAS and defensive aggression throughout. The behavior team wants to make a note that these fractious behaviors are typical in cats who are owner surrenders' and who have never been in the shelter environment before. The pre-exam room is exceptionally stressful for new cats; there is a high level of emotional contagion as well as no clear routine, no offerings of enrichment and no chance of a new cat's level of fear to begin to lower and stabilize. Cats can also smell and hear dogs from this pre-exam room. It is not out of the realm of expectation for a scared, owner surrender cat to react the way Mugen did under the circumstances that led to him to being netted and excessively handled. He should be placed in a hard carrier/den unless otherwise advised.

BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: : Level 3

RECOMMENDATIONS:: Single-pet home,Adult only home

Recommendations comments:: Due to the behavior seen in shelter and needing a longer time to warm up, the behavior team feels Mugen would do best in an adult-only home where they would be able to acclimate in a calm environment. His previous owner notes that Mugen dislikes cats and dogs, due to this he would do best in a single-pet home.

BEHAVIOR SUMMARY:: On approach, Mugen is laying on his side in his cage with a slightly tense body, pupils dilated, ears forward, tail curled. When the assessor opens the cage door and slowly offers the scratcher tool out to him, he pulls his head back quickly and tenses when touched on the top of his head with his ears tilted. He stress vocalizes as the assessor then slowly moves the tool and makes contact with his side, before low growling and raising a paw to swat at the tool. When touch is attempted one more time, he vocalizes again before he turns and bites at the tool. The assessor holds the tool in place and he raises a paw, low growling and pushing the tool down before biting it again. Pick up is not attempted. 7/06/26 Mugen was lying underneath his hidey cave as the assessor approached, body and face tense with his tail wrapped around his feet. Mugen remained partially hidden when spoken to and he tensed a bit more as the kennel door opened. Mugen tolerated petting along his head and body with the assess-a-hand while slow-blinking hard and shifting further into the corner of his hiding spot. Pick up was not attempted at this time to reduce stress. Mugen tolerates petting but may be fearful or stressed in the shelter and may be intimidated by small children. He may be a little more independent and may 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.