News & Events

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. Discover what’s new, what’s next, and all the wonderful things happening around the shelter!

Events at HART

Vote for HART!

🌟 We’re thrilled to share that Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART) has been nominated for the 2026 Best of the Central Coast! 🎉

We’re excited to be competing in two categories:
🐾 Animal Nonprofit
💛 Place to Volunteer

🗳️ Here’s how to vote (once every day until November 14!)
1️⃣ Go to VoteCentralCoast.com
2️⃣ Click “Services” → “Animal Nonprofit” → select Homeless Animal Rescue Team
3️⃣ Click “Things to Do” → “Place to Volunteer” → select Homeless Animal Rescue Team
4️⃣ Don’t forget to “Review & Cast My Ballot,” then tap “Submit” for your vote to count!

Winning would mean that our cats get the recognition they need to find the loving homes they deserve — and it will help future volunteers choose HART as a wonderful place to give their time and love. 💖🐾

Thank you for helping us make a difference, one whisker at a time! 🐱

VOTE HERE!

Save the Date!

🎄🐾 HART’s Kitty Christmas Café 🐾🎄
📅 Date: CATurday, December 20
🕐 Time: 1:00 – 4:00 PM
📍 Location: HART – 2638 Main Street, Cambria

Event Highlights:

🎁 Adoption Specials – help our cats and kittens find loving homes for the holidays
☕ Free Treats – enjoy hot cocoa, cider, and cookies
🎶 Live Music – the Kitty Ditty HART Band will be performing
🛍️ Gift Shop Holiday Sale – find unique gifts for the animal lovers on your list
🐱 Shelter Tours – meet the cats and kittens waiting to be adopted

✨ Come for the cocoa, stay for the cats — and make this a Christmas to purr about! ✨

Shelter News

Thanks for Supporting HART at Robin's!

November 1 -

October adoptions 2024 (instagram post (45)) (2)

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! 🐾💛

It's Time for 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 has 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!

Thank you for Making the 2nd 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 $6,000 for HART’s cats and kittens! 🐾🎉 The Zongo All-Star 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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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, 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.

Thank you for Attending
HART's Kitty Christmas Cafe'!

Hart's festive holiday event on the afternoon of December 21, was very well attended. There were three cat adoptions, steady retail sales and over $1k in donations were received that day. There was a beautiful and tasty cider and cocoa station, which folks thoroughly enjoyed. The treats brought in from Events Committee members were greatly appreciated. The Kitty Ditty HART Band performed to an appreciative crowd and a festive time was had by all!

A Huge Success!

Thank you for joining us at our 2nd Annual Robin's Fundraising Dinner in November, celebrating HART's 41st Anniversary! We're thrilled to share that this event raised significant funds for HART, made even more special by the generosity of the raffle winners, who donated their portions back to HART.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to Robin's Restaurant for hosting this event and creating such a beautiful, warm, and delicious experience. We also extend our gratitude to Among Friends for donating the lovely sea glass gifts. Your support means the world to us and helps us continue our mission. Thank you for being a part of this special evening!

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 2nd 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!

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!

News & Events

Events at HART

Shelter News

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

Thank you for Making the 2nd Annual SweetHART Dance a Huge Success!

Showing some LOVE to our Local Businesses!

A Huge Success!

Thank you Neighbors!

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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