What's Happening at HART

Stay up to date with everything happening at HART — from current and upcoming events to heartwarming success stories, past highlights, and behind-the-scenes news.

Events

HART's Spring Goodwill Drive is Coming

It’s time to Spring Clean for Homeless Cats! ✅😺

HART is hosting a Goodwill Drive on April 10th & 11th from 10:00–3:30! Can’t make those dates? Early drop-off will be available the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 12-4 prior to the event.

Clear out your garage, closets, attic, and cupboards, and turn your gently used clothes and household items into much-needed support for HART’s cats and kittens. Every trailer we fill helps fund their care—so your donations truly make a difference.

Gather your new or gently used, working items and drop them off at HART (2638 Main St., Cambria). Not sure if something is accepted? Check HERE 🔗https://www.ccgoodwill.org/donate/what-to-donate.

Thank you for helping us make this a success—we couldn’t do it without you! 🐾

Join HART at the Nonprofit Community Fair!

Mark your calendars for the Cambria Nonprofit Community Fair, hosted by the Cambria 501 Group! On Saturday, April 11th, from 11 AM - 2 PM, HART volunteers will be at the Pinedorado Grounds (940 Main St., Cambria) alongside other local nonprofits, introducing residents to the organizations that help make life better here in Cambria.

Come meet our dedicated team, learn about our mission, and find out how you can help make a difference in the lives of rescued cats and kittens. Whether you're interested in volunteering, fostering, adopting, donating or just want to learn more about HART, we'd love to chat with you!

There will be food, drinks, and dancing by Ballet Folklorico. Admission is free, so stop by, say hello, and discover all the ways you can support our feline friends. We can’t wait to see you there!

Shelter News

Thanks for Helping HART Win GOLD!

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We are absolutely thrilled to finally announce that the Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART) has WON gold — twice! — in the inaugural edition of The Tribune’s Best of the Central Coast 2026 magazine! Thanks to your many repeated votes for us in October and November 2025, HART took home GOLD in two categories — Animal Nonprofit and Place to Volunteer. With more than 186,000 votes cast to recognize the best businesses, people, and places in SLO County, finishing at the top is truly an incredible honor.

For a small shelter like ours, this recognition means everything. Being named “Best Animal Nonprofit” brings invaluable exposure that helps shine a brighter light on HART and our mission — and most importantly, helps our cats get the visibility they need to find the loving homes they deserve. Winning gold as “Best Place to Volunteer” is equally meaningful because our volunteers are the lifeblood of HART. This recognition showcases HART as a wonderful place for future volunteers to share their time and heart, directly benefiting our cats and programs.

We are deeply grateful for every vote and every person who stood behind us. Thank YOU for helping secure HART’s win! A heartfelt congratulations to all of the Best of the Central Coast winners — we’re honored to be in such good company!

View the Winners

February was a heartwarming month at HART, with 9 incredible cats and kittens heading home — 6 kittens, 2 adults, and 1 senior. We are especially over the moon for our long-timers Ozzy, Calvin, and Barbie, who each waited more than eight months for their perfect match. Ozzy and Calvin were adopted together (just as we’d hoped!), and Barbie is now settling into a home with a new feline sister of her very own. And in the sweetest timing, Maple — our February Cat of the Month — found her family on the very last day (and very last adoptable hour) of her special month! We are excited to report that senior sweetheart Syrah (after several stays at HART throughout her lifetime) went to what we hope is her fur-ever home at last.

Then there’s Izzy… truly one of the most remarkable adoptions of the year so far. Found in a cage in a field with three kittens, suffering from a pellet wound and multiple serious medical issues, Izzy endured months of diagnostics, treatment, and healing with the help of HART’s dedicated medical team. Izzy finally healed up beautifully and has blossomed into the gorgeous, happy girl she was always meant to be. Along the way, her foster mom fell head over heels for her spirited purr-sonality and her loving demeanor — and made it official as soon as Izzy was finally healed and ready for adoption. Congratulations to all of our February adopters and adoptees!

Thank you for Making the 3rd Annual SweetHART Dance a Huge Success!

Our hearts are full! 💕 Thanks to our incredible supporters, the SweetHART Dance was a night to remember—raising over $9,600 for HART’s cats and kittens! 🐾🎉 Jill Knight and her large band kept the dance floor packed, the dessert buffet was a sweet hit, and the silent auction was the biggest success of the night!

We want to give a HUGE shoutout to our amazing local businesses for their generosity in donating food, drinks, and auction items. Your support means the world to us and the cats who rely on HART. 🐱💖

And last but not least, a big THANK YOU to our dedicated Events Committee for all their hard work in making this event possible. We couldn’t have done it without you!

From all of us at HART (and our whiskered friends), thank you for your kindness, generosity, and love. 🐾💞

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Copy of january adoptions (1080 x 1350 px)

We’re thrilled to share that 31 cats and kittens were adopted in January, making it the second exceptional month in a row for adoptions at HART! We more than doubled our typical monthly adoption average—and made HART history with our most January adoptions as far back as we can remember! Those 31 happy endings included 22 kittens, 8 adults, and 1 senior, with more than half adopted in pairs.

Of the kittens, 14 were adopted in pairs, proving once again that love is better shared. Flo gained a new feline sister, Reese scored two new kitty brothers, Franklin found a canine best friend, and Ruby hit the jackpot with four new siblings—two feline and two canine! We’re especially thrilled for our six long-term “teenage” kittens who finally found homes together: friends Daphne & Emily, siblings Tani & Jack, and best-bud siblings Eddie & Elaine all landed with families who recognized how deeply bonded they are and made sure those connections stayed intact.

Our sweet senior Katy came to HART after losing her home when her purr-son needed to move to a care facility. She was only at HART for two weeks when she found a patient, understanding & loving adopter ready to give her a chance and let her adjust to her new living situation at her own pace. As for the adult adoptions, bonded sisters Bunny & Camilla found a loving new home after being adopted as kittens and returned to the shelter after seven months—and we're hoping this one is forever. In addition, our first January Cat of the Month, spirited and chatty mama-kitty Sweetie, was adopted into her very own home in mid January, (her kittens Rolo, Snicker, and Kit Kat were adopted in January too.) Then, on the very last day of the month, our second January Cat of the Month, BeBe, headed home too!

We’re so grateful to our adopters for choosing love—and often choosing to double the love. Wishing all of our cats and kittens endless happiness in their new homes.

KITTEN FOSTERS NEEDED

Kitten season is rampant from Spring to Fall, and HART needs fosters for our upcoming Kitten Season who can help us save these vulnerable lives. Kitten fosters provide care and support to kittens until they are old enough to thrive on their own and be adopted.

Unfortunately, there are always more kittens and cats in need than fosters available to help them. You can make a huge impact by fostering these vulnerable animals, for a couple of weeks or more, and helping to spread the word about your experience to other potential foster parents.

HART provides all the food, supplies, veterinary care and support. All you need to provide is a warm home and plenty of TLC!

Learn More

New year thanks for support year end summary

A Successful Year

Because of you, 2025 was an incredible year for HART! Together, we welcomed 198 cats and kittens, celebrated 173 adoptions, supported 25 amazing foster families, and cared for 96 fostered felines—all powered by thousands of volunteer hours, generous donors, and so many amazing supporters - local businesses, families, and individuals. Most importantly, MANY lives were saved. We truly couldn’t have done this without your kindness, time, and belief in our mission. Here’s to another year of saving lives—together!

Want to help us do even more in 2026?

Learn How You Can Support HART!

December 2025 Adoptions

We are beyond excited to share that 34 cats and kittens found loving homes in December! The shelter feels much emptier—but in the very best way. For a small shelter like ours, this is more than twice our typical number of monthly adoptions, and we are truly over the moon knowing so many of our cats and kittens are off to the loving homes they deserve.

Among them, 28 kittens under one year old found the families they’d been waiting for, many adopted together. What’s especially exciting is that 13 of those were “teen” kittens, many of whom had been waiting over six months—their whole lives—for a home. This includes our timid little Daisy, who, after months of waiting, finally chose her people—stepping forward, leaning into their touch, and purring as if she’d been waiting just for them. In addition, best buddies Ozzy and Calvin became forever brothers when they were adopted together.

Five adult cats also found homes in December. Melba Toast and Boots were adopted as a pair, as were Erin and Elin. We’re also thrilled to share that one senior kitty — our handsome & charming 13-year-old Mickey — found his forever home and even gained a new senior friend to share it with. What an incredible way to wrap up the year!

Thank you for volunteering, sharing, and helping us spread the word about adoptable cats and kittens. You help make these happy endings possible, and we’re so excited to head into 2026 together. 💛

HART at the Cambria Christmas Market!

December 29 & 30 - We are excited to share that the Cambria Christmas Market invited HART to host a booth in the beautiful Nursery section of the market. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our mission, talk about our work, introduce visitors to our adoptable cats and kittens, and spread the word about volunteering with HART.
A huge thank-you to our Treasurer, Gary Swauger, for setting everything up, and to our Board Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator Shannon, and paw-some volunteer Sara for staffing the booth and chatting with visitors. Being surrounded by the market’s spectacular lights made the experience feel truly magical. We shared lots of sweet cat stories, received generous donations, and even welcomed two new volunteer applications. Thank you all for supporting HART—we couldn’t do this without you! ✨🐾

Thanks for Attending HART's Christmas Kitty Cafe!

December 20 - HART’s Kitty Christmas Café was an absolute blast! Our festive holiday celebration on the afternoon of December 20 was buzzing with happy faces, holiday cheer, and plenty of purrs. Best of all, three adorable kittens found their forever homes—talk about the purr-fect Christmas gift!

The cider, cocoa, and latte station was a total hit, and the mountains of tasty treats generously donated by our amazing Events Committee members were happily devoured. Shoppers filled the gift shop, picking out fun goodies and must-have supplies for their cats and kittens. The Kitty Ditty HART Band had the crowd smiling and singing along, Santa stopped by for a special visit, and the whole afternoon sparkled with festive fun and feline love.

A huge thank you to our incredible HART staff and volunteers—your hard work, generosity, and holiday spirit helped make this event such a wonderful success! 🎄🐾💚

Adoptions in November

November gave us so much to be thankful for — with 16 wonderful cats and kittens finding loving homes. Thirteen kittens found their families, many in adorable sibling pairs, while others joined families with feline friends already waiting for them.

Three young adults also began new chapters, including Mimi and Willow, who were both abandoned on the streets before finding safety at HART. Willow spent five long months being overlooked during kitten season, until the very last day of November, when her perfect person walked in, felt that instant spark, and brought her home.

And then there’s Mama Kitty, whose story touched every heart at HART. She arrived just days after giving birth to 4 adorable kittens. She raised her kittens with unwavering devotion, watched them get adopted one by one, and then waited seven patient months for someone to see her gentle, deserving spirit. This November, her turn finally came — and she went home to the loving life she deserves.

We are truly thankful for every adopter who opened their hearts this month. Here’s to warm laps, full bellies, and beautiful new beginnings. 🧡🐾

Congratulations to all our wonderful adoptees! We wish each of them the happiest of lives with their new families.

Thank you Neighbors!

Thank you our wonderful neighbors for "faving" HART's Nexdoor page during Nextdoor's Neighborhood Faves Contest. We are excited to be one of the winning businesses for the 3rd year in a row, and we are honored to be one of your "faves!"

Having the status of "Neighborhood Fave" will increase our visibility in Cambria, which means increased visibility for our cats and kittens who need homes. If you haven't faved our Nexdoor page yet, we welcome you to do so HERE. Thank you neighbors - we appreciate YOU!

FAVE US!

Thanks for Supporting HART at Robin's!

November 1 - HART’s 42nd Anniversary Dinner at Robin’s Restaurant was an unforgettable evening! On November 1st, guests enjoyed an incredible three-course meal in Robin’s beautiful garden patio. Throughout the night, harpist Adelina Arnold filled the space with elegant, uplifting music that made the event even more special.
A heartfelt thank-you to Beth Yudovin for her wonderful organization, to Shelley White, Events Director at Robin’s, and to owner Shanny Covey for so graciously hosting HART. And to everyone who joined us—thank you! Thanks to your support, the event raised over $3,600 for HART’s cats and kittens.

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Adoptions in October

October was a spook-tacular month for 11 of HART’s fabulous felines! Ten kittens and one senior sweetheart found their fur-ever homes. Four lucky kittens were adopted in pairs, while others gained new feline siblings in their adoptive families.

Dorito, who had been returned, didn’t even spend a whole hour back at the shelter before finding a new home with his kitten pal, Bobby. Little Lynx skipped the shelter entirely, going straight from foster care to his forever family—complete with a new four-legged sibling. And after months of being overlooked among all the kittens, our lovely senior Sweet Pea finally got her moment in the spotlight as our front office greeter—and it took just one day for her perfect family to walk through the door and fall in love.

Congratulations to all our wonderful adoptees! We wish each of them the happiest of lives with their new families.

HART visits "Local Glow" at Sensorio

October 19 -When Ghost — Sensorio’s famous feline Meownager — invited HART to set up a booth at their local's night, "Local Glow," we were paws-itively thrilled to accept!

It was a magical evening of lights, community, and cat lovers. Our Shelter Manager, Cathy, along with volunteers Dawn and Jennifer, represented HART and had a wonderful time meeting Sensorio guests, answering questions, and sharing our mission. Ghost was the purr-fect host, drawing visitors to our table — and even helping us gather a few donations along the way!

Best of all, our biggest goal was achieved: letting more people know that HART exists and sharing the work we do to help cats in need. Since the event, we’ve gained new social media followers and visitors to our website, and even celebrated three adoptions the very next business day — proof that the word about HART is traveling farther than ever!

Ghost and Sensorio even featured HART in a collaborative Instagram post about our visit that very night. It has since reached nearly 20,000 views, and still climbing — an incredible spotlight that has helped thousands of new people discover who we are and what we do.

We’re so grateful to Ghost & Sensorio for this wonderful opportunity. It was a special evening for everyone, especially Cathy, who enjoyed experiencing the magic of Sensorio's lights for the first time. We can’t wait to team up again in the future!

Thanks for your Donations!

October 9- HART's Fall Goodwill Drive was an incredible success, thanks to our amazing Cambria neighbors and dedicated supporters from all across SLO County! Your generosity in donating new or gently used treasures helped us fill a trailer to support our mission at HART. Every item donated and every dollar raised makes a difference for the cats in our care.
Feeling inspired? Start your spring cleaning early, and stay tuned for the announcement of our Spring Goodwill Drive date. Together, we can make the next drive even more impactful—thank you for being part of our journey! 🐾💛

HART Celebrated the Scarecrow Festival!
Meet our Adorable Scarekitty!

October 2025 - we are excited to share our adorable scarekitty, lovingly created by HART Volunteers, just in time for the annual Scarecrow Festival! This cool cat is made from recycled materials. Kitty’s fur is made from our empty kitty litter bags, the eyes are cat food cans, the whiskers are recycled packaging straps, the ribbon came from an old stash and even the plywood is recycled scraps. Isn't she creative & adorable?

September Adoptions!

September was life-changing for 10 HART cats and kittens — they found their families! Six lucky kittens went to their fur-ever homes in pairs, while the other two found families where new feline siblings were waiting to welcome them. Our handsome, cuddly 6-year-old big boy, Luke, also found his happily-ever-after.

The biggest celebration goes to our September Cat of the Month and HART Office Diva, Callie. This sweet 12-year-old has waited 8 months for her perfect family, and at last, they found her. Callie will now be the cherished queen of her castle, soaking up all the love she deserves. Congratulations to Callie and all our September graduates — we’re so happy for each of you and your new families!

Thank you Cambria Chamber of Commerce!

September 2025 - The Cambria Chamber of Commerce featured HART in their window display in September! 🐾💙 This kind gesture gave us wonderful visibility in the heart of town and helped raise awareness about our mission to rescue and rehome cats and kittens in need.

We’re so grateful to be part of such a supportive business community. Every bit of exposure helps us connect more cats with the loving families they deserve. Thank you, Cambria Chamber, for helping us spread the word!

Pinedorado Parade!

September 2025 — ✨ Cambria just celebrated its 75th Pinedorado Weekend — the Diamond Jubilee! 🌲🐴🤠 HART had a blast creating our parade entry this year, transforming our truck into a giant cat! 🐾 This year, we added inflatable cat costumes to our entry, thanks to volunteer Paul who supplied the costumes and happily walked the parade in one, coughing up imaginary furballs - to the crowd's amusement. It was truly HART-warming to see the smiles, hear the cheers, and even catch a few meows from the crowd as our float rolled by. Spectators shouted things like, “We love you, HART!” and “We got our fur-baby from you!” 💕 Even though we didn’t bring home a ribbon this year, we were honored to be part of such a fun parade with so many creative entries.

Every year, HART helps out the Lions Club by manning the food and game booths. This year, our volunteers joined the Pinedorado festivities all three days, serving up yummy corn on the cob and elote 🌽 to hungry visitors and locals — and had a great time doing it!

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Thank you for Attending HART's Movie Night featuring FLOW!

August 2025 — ✨ What a night! HART’s Movie Night Fundraiser was a huge success thanks to our incredible community. More than 100 tickets were purchased for the outdoor screening of the Academy Award-winning animated film Flow on the lawn at Parr Collective at Stolo Vineyards, raising over $2,000 for HART’s cats and kittens!

A heartfelt thank you to our sponsor, the Cambria Film Festival, for generously donating their time, equipment, volunteers, and expertise to make the evening possible. We are also grateful to Parr Collective at Stolo Vineyards for donating their beautiful event space, and to Mary and Paul for providing the popcorn station and keeping it popping all night long.

Most of all, thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy this magical film under the stars. Your support means the world to us and helps us continue our mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming cats in need. 💙

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HART Travels to CatCon!

August 2025 - On August 2 & 3, our Shelter Manager Cathy and front desk volunteer Kathy traveled to CatCon in Pasadena! They spent the weekend connecting with cat advocates, influencers, experts, performers, veterinarians, and representatives from fellow rescues—and even met some famous celebricats, including Cat Named Calvin!

Cathy and Kathy returned with fresh ideas, inspiration, and resources to help our shelter continue to save more lives, improve the well-being of the cats in our care, and strengthen our role in the rescue community.

"It was so cool to be around hundreds and hundreds of like minded cat people! It was fun! The Pasadena Humane Society adopted out 210 kittens and cats that weekend. Incredible!" - Kathy Bethel

Thank you for Attending our Summer Open House!

July 2025 — Our Summer Open House was a HUGE success—thank you to everyone who joined us! We had so many wonderful visitors—it was truly PAW-some! The craft table was a hit, with tons of cat toys made, face painting, stickers, and cat-themed goodies galore. We received some amazing donations, gave out lots of Shelter Tours, and the Kitty Ditty HART Band drew quite the crowd—nearly every seat was filled!
Best of all, SIX kittens found their fur-ever homes on Saturday, making this one of our most successful Open Houses ever. We’re so grateful for your continued support—because of YOU, we can keep doing what we love for the cats and kittens who need us most!

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A HARTfelt Farewell to Our Beloved Judy Mills

June 2025 - It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dear friend and longtime morning feeder, Judy Mills, who left us in June at the age of 86.

Judy was a pillar of HART — a quiet force of love and dedication who served our shelter family for more than two decades. Every weekday morning, often before the sun rose, Judy would arrive to feed our cats, gently medicating those in need and making sure each one felt safe, cared for, and loved. Her presence brought comfort not just to the animals, but to everyone at HART, knowing the kitties started every day safe in her care.

Judy fostered, adopted, and gave her heart to every cat who crossed her path. Her steady kindness and devotion made an immeasurable impact on HART and on the many lives she touched — feline and human alike.

We are profoundly grateful for the time we shared with Judy. Her legacy of compassion and care will forever be part of HART. She is deeply missed.

Summer Cat Quilt Raffle
– A Purr-fect Success!

June 2025 — A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined in the fun and donated for a chance to win our beautiful quilt! Thanks to your generosity, we raised an incredible $3,000 to support the cats at HART!
On May 31st, HART volunteers Christine Steeb and Marshall Lewis had the honor of drawing the winning ticket. Congratulations to Roxane Malone of Atascadero, whose ticket was selected from nearly 90 entries!

HART has Adopted a Road!

May 2025 - HART is participating in SLO County's "Adopt a Road Program! 🐾 We’re now the proud caretakers of Eton Road between Schoolhouse Lane and Main Street. Keep an eye out for our shiny new signs — you’ll spot them on Eton Road just past the Nursery, and at Eton and Main.
By adopting a road, HART gets to show a little extra love to Cambria — keeping our streets clean, spreading good vibes, and increasing awareness of our shelter along the way. It’s a purr-fect way to give back to the community that supports us! 💛🌿

HART Joins First Cambria Nonprofit Community Fair

April 2025- On Saturday, April 5th, HART was proud to participate in the very first Cambria Nonprofit Community Fair, hosted by the Cambria 501 Group at the Pinedorado Grounds. More than 25 local nonprofits came together to connect with residents and share how they help make life in Cambria brighter.

HART volunteers enjoyed meeting community members, talking about our mission, and sharing ways people can support our rescued cats and kittens—whether through volunteering, fostering, adopting, or simply spreading the word.

The event featured delicious food and drinks, lively music from DJ Ponce Gonzalez, a colorful performance by Ballet Folklorico, and a fun raffle for visitors who stopped by each nonprofit booth. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the spirit of community while introducing more people to the work we do for our feline friends.

We’re grateful to the Cambria 501 Group for organizing such a successful event and to everyone who stopped by our booth to say hello.

HART’s Spring Goodwill Drive was a fantastic success!

April 2025 - Thanks to your generosity, we filled nearly two full trailers and raised an incredible $1,120 in donations!

In addition to the many early drop-off donations, we had between 60–70 donors on Friday, April 11 and another 50–55 donors on Saturday, April 12. That’s support from nearly 4% of Cambria’s 3,800 households—a remarkable show of community spirit. Your donations make a real difference in the lives of HART’s cats and kittens.

Thank you, Cambria, for caring, sharing, and giving!

Showing some LOVE to our Local Businesses!

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We are beyond grateful for the support HART received from our local business community in 2024! These businesses have given so much to help us save cats, and we encourage our followers to support the businesses that support HART—whether it’s shopping, dining, or using their services, let’s return the love!

Thank you to the 20 businesses that host HART donation jars—every penny helps save lives and spreads awareness about our mission.
A heartfelt thank you to the 40+ businesses that donated funds, food, drinks, sponsorships, silent auction items, and other items to support HART. Your generosity has made a huge impact!
A special shoutout to Freddie’s Consignment Shop for their consignment program, which has raised hundreds of dollars for HART’s cats and kittens.
Thank you to Jill Knight & Rina Kelly for sharing their musical talents at our Harmony Café event!
We’re also incredibly grateful to Edina Szabo from Keller Williams Central Coast for organizing a successful cat food drive. Her time, effort, and generosity were very much appreciated.

Many of these amazing businesses are already stepping up again in 2025 for our SweetHART Dance on February 15th, and we’re thrilled to welcome new businesses like Stolo Vineyards, who have generously offered their support. We couldn’t be more thankful!

Want to support HART? If you own a business and would like to become a donor, event sponsor, or host a donation jar, please reach out to wendy@slohart.org.
From the bottom of our hearts—thank you for helping us save lives!

In January, an unexpected guest decided to join the mix of HART's cats and kittens—a rather fluffy black-and-white "cat" no one had seen before. A curious little skunk had squeezed its way through the bars of one of the outdoor enclosures. Finding the sunny spot and calm feline company irresistible, the skunk nestled right in for a nap, snoozing peacefully alongside its new "friends."

Cathy, HART's Shelter Manager, strolled through the room to check on the cats. At first, everything seemed normal, but then she paused mid-step. "Wait a minute," she thought. "We don’t have a black-and-white cat in this room…" It took a few seconds for the realization to hit, and then Cathy’s face lit up with alarm and amusement. "Oh no, that’s not a cat!"

With some disbelief, chuckles, (and a lot of caution), the team sprang into action. One of HART’s recent adopters, a wildlife expert, was called to assist Heidi, HART's Medical Care Manager with the situation. But as they approached, the skunk blinked sleepily, clearly miffed at being awakened from his comfortable nap. He shuffled grumpily, as if saying, "Really? I was just getting comfortable." With patience and skill, the wildlife expert and Heidi guided the sleepy & disgruntled little guest back outside to its natural home.

Before waddling off, however, the skunk made sure to leave a pungent parting gift—a proper skunk farewell that lingered for hours. The cats, unbothered and mildly entertained, seemed to regard the entire event as the highlight of their day. Meanwhile, the staff vowed to tighten the bars on the catio—and stock up on air fresheners!

A Tribute to Susan Barghini (1946-2024)

Just before Christmas Day in 2024, we learned the sad news that Susan Barghini had passed away. As one of HART’s most stalwart supporters, Susan was a key advocate who ensured its survival after serious challenges around 2010 threatened its existence.
At that time, HART was housed at 1500 Main Street. The owner of the property decided to sell it, and financial discrepancies threatened HART’s status as a 501(c)(3) charitable entity. Susan and her husband, architect Gary Swauger (HART’s treasurer) put order in the financial records and identified a new location at 2638 Main Street, which had appeared on the market. Securing a mortgage seemed impossible until Susan was unexpectedly notified by Sacramento that a distant cousin, whom Susan didn’t know existed, had died without a will. The estate was being liquidated, and Susan was due to receive part of the proceeds. As Susan recounted later, the timing seemed providential: she donated all of the money to HART in order to obtain the mortgage, and the animals were moved to their new shelter in 2011. Susan had saved HART.
Susan was born in San Francisco in 1946, and worked in the Bay Area as a high school teacher until Gary and she married in 1975. They moved to Cambria the next year. Susan served as president of HART’s board of directors from 2006 to 2013. Next she led the Events Committee, which was (and is) responsible for conceiving and carrying out HART’s major fundraising events. From 2013-2020, when Covid-19 lockdowns interrupted social gatherings, she orchestrated the elaborate plans for Wines, Pines, and Felines. After the lockdowns were lifted, Susan ensured that one more chapter in WPF’s history would still be written in 2022, when the last WPF event was held at Cambria Pines Lodge.
Susan had a keen eye and enthusiasm for retailing. Leading a team of volunteers, she would transform HART’s gift shop at least four times a year with attractive seasonal decorations. She tirelessly gathered dozens of items that were sold in the shop to boost our revenues.
In addition to fostering cats and adopting from HART, Susan contributed to the newsletters, organized several years of stuffing envelopes for HART’s year-end appeal, sorted hundreds of items for the Goodwill drives, and recruited new volunteers and staff, including Evelyn Zanella to introduce protocols for adoptions and animal care. We join them in extending our condolences to Gary Swauger and saluting Susan’s extraordinary contribution to HART and our community.
Susan requested that no flowers or tributes be offered in her memory -- except for donations to her most cherished cause, the Homeless Animal Rescue Team.

Get Involved at HART

Contact HART to volunteer to feed, medicate or clean.
Foster a current shelter resident or let us know you are available to foster new intakes, including cats and kittens.
Share photos of our cats on social media and let your friends and family know about adoptable cats.
Donate to HART's general fund, which help keep our doors open.
Donate essential items, like cat food and litter, from our Amazon wishlist.
For additional ways to help, please click here. Thank you for your support!

What's Happening at HART

Events

Shelter News

Thanks for Helping HART Win GOLD!

Thank you for Making the 3rd Annual SweetHART Dance a Huge Success!

KITTEN FOSTERS NEEDED

HART at the Cambria Christmas Market!

Thanks for Attending HART's Christmas Kitty Cafe!

Thank you Neighbors!

Thanks for Supporting HART at Robin's!

HART visits "Local Glow" at Sensorio

Thank you Cambria Chamber of Commerce!

Pinedorado Parade!

Thank you for Attending HART's Movie Night featuring FLOW!

HART Travels to CatCon!

Thank you for Attending our Summer Open House!

A HARTfelt Farewell to Our Beloved Judy Mills

HART Joins First Cambria Nonprofit Community Fair

Showing some LOVE to our Local Businesses!

Get Involved at HART

Contact HART to volunteer to feed, medicate or clean.

Foster a current shelter resident or let us know you are available to foster new intakes, including cats and kittens.

Share photos of our cats on social media and let your friends and family know about adoptable cats.

Donate to HART's general fund, which help keep our doors open.

Donate essential items, like cat food and litter, from our Amazon wishlist.

For additional ways to help, please click here. Thank you for your support!

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