LIFE in an animal shelter can bring about big changes in an animal’s personality.

For some pets it is a good experience, especially if they have been a stray on the streets or come from a home where they were being neglected.

Others come from wonderful homes and find the change in their situation very hard to deal with.

One such cat is Izzy, a long-haired, black and white four-year-old.

When Izzy first came into the care of Animal Welfare she was friendly and enjoyed the attention she received from her carers.

But she does find life in the shelter hard to cope with and the last few days she has developed a bit of an attitude and will smack people with her paw if she does not want them to pet her.

Izzy came from a home where she was very much loved and her owner was absolutely devastated at having to give her up but had no choice due to illness.

From the start Izzy made it clear she does not like other cats, but now although she likes being petted, her carers have discovered that if anyone tries to pick her up she hates it and gets angry.

Her carers feel it may just be the stress of being in a strange place with a lot of cats around her and that she would calm down once in her own home.

Also in the shelter in Rawlinson Street, Barrow, is a beautiful, young, glossy black mother called Pasha.

This tiny bundle of jet black fur was a wonderful mother to her litter of kittens but now deserves her own forever home.

She is a little shy when she first meets you but is very gentle and would make a wonderful pet for any cat lover.

Eileen and Norman are two young kittens, probably aged about nine to 10 weeks, who have come from a good home but their owner could not afford to keep them.

The owner already had several cats, but unfortunately one of the females became pregnant – so along came Eileen (tortie) and Norman (black and white).

They are both quite timid but only because they need to get used to people and being handled.

There is also a new litter of beautiful kittens, aged around seven weeks, in need of homes a black kitten, a multi-coloured, a pale ginger and white and a ginger one.

A stray cat came into the home of a man and soon after gave birth to the litter of four.

Fortunately, the stranger has really looked after the mother and her kittens, but now that they have been weaned, Animal Welfare would love to find them forever homes.

To arrange a viewing of the cats and kittens or to find out more details please call the charity on 01229 836955. Viewing times are Monday to Friday 11.30am to 2pm and Saturday and Sunday 11.30am until 12.30.

Karma the gentle-natured young female featured last week has been rehomed.