News & Events

Keep up with the latest happenings at HART.
Learn about all the exciting news & events below.
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Shelter News

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April adoptions (instagram post (45))
We’re hopping with joy to share some egg-cellent news—10 cats and kittens found their fur-ever homes in April!  Among them was senior sweetheart Buck, our March Cat of the Month and Gift Shop "supervisor,' who lost his right eye to painful glaucoma. He lost his vision, but never his zest for life, and he now gets to enjoy his golden years in a loving home. Penny, our wide-eyed little blanket-burrower, now has her very own blanket basket to snuggle into.  In addition, not one, but two darling kittens named Molly charmed their way into the hearts of their new families.

Even more heartwarming? Three bonded sibling kitten pairs found homes TOGETHER—including long-timers Katie and Kess, who get to celebrate their one year old birthday next week with their new family!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who shared, donated, and cheered these kitties on. Your kindness makes happy endings like these possible. 


 
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Take a Peek at
HART's Gift Shop!


The Gift Shop has been updated with adorable spring merchandise.  Take a peek at some of the new items we have out.
All proceeds from the Gift Shop support our Cats & Kittens. 

 
Tap here for a peek of the Gift Shop!
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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! 
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Lil’ stinker’s visit to hart!
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!
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A Tribute to Susan Barghini (1946-2024)
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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.
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Support HART at Freddie's
Thrift & Consignment!
Support hart by bringing your consignment items to freddies thrift consignment! (3)


Got gently used items you're ready to part with? Bring them to Freddie's Thrift & Consignment at 816 Main Street in Cambria and donate them for a great cause!  Just mention you'd like them sold on consignment for HART, and we'll receive a percentage of the proceeds. We appreciate your support!

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


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!

Harmony
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!

Neighborhood fave
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!
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Thanks for your Donations!
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HART's Annual 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 the trailers to the brim, raising an impressive $800 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! 🐾💛

October Display: Our Adorable Scarekitty!
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In October, we showcased 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 adorable? 

Pinedorado

Pinedorado Weekend in Cambria was a great time! 🌲🐴🤠 HART had fun creating our Pinedorado Parade entry and we wanted to share it with you, along with some other highlights of the parade. There were approximately 60 wonderful participants in the parade, so this is only a few. We hope you enjoy! 😺 HART Volunteers helped out all weekend at the Pinedorado Grounds serving up yummy corn. 🌽 For more info about Pinedorado, visit: https://www.cambrialions.org

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Thank you for Attending our Summer Open House!

Our Summer Open House was a HUGE success!  We had so many visitors - it was PAW-some!  We got new Volunteer Sign Ups, Summer Raffle Tickets Sold, and lots of Shelter Tours were given.  The Kitty Ditty HART Band drew a crowd and nearly all the seats we put out were filled.  In addition, FIVE kittens found their fur-ever homes on Saturday, making it one of our most successful Open Houses ever!
Thank you so much for your support - we couldn't do what we do without YOU!
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Thank You for Supporting HART with Dinner at Harmony Cafe' and Music by Jill Knight!

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It was a huge success!  The four-course dinner, fundraising event, on the evening of Saturday June 22nd, was a lovely evening that raised over $2,100 for HART's cats and kittens!

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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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