Relinquishment

Bobby iggy
RELINQUISHING A PET
HART primarily serves Cambria CA and the neighboring communities of San Simeon and Harmony. If space and our manpower allow, we extend our radius throughout San Luis Obispo County. Our shelter can accommodate 50 cats and kittens in communal rooms. We have only one suitable space for a single cat who will not tolerate other cats. Our ability to accept a cat depends on the number of cats in our shelter, available manpower to care for them, and rate of adoption.

HART will always take back a former HART cat. If you adopted your cat from HART, and you have tried unsuccessfully to find another home for your cat, call 805-927-7377 to arrange returning your cat to our shelter.

We understand that relinquishing a pet is a painful decision. If you have a cat from another source and must give up your pet, call HART at 805-927-7377 to request an appointment for counseling and to discuss your options. Click on this link to find the form for relinquishment: https://form.jotform.com/231901752761051.  Although we will do our best to assist you, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accept your pet because HART’s staff can only care for about 50 animals. We will provide you with recommendations for additional rescue-groups in San Luis Obispo County if our shelter is full or if your cat cannot be housed with others. HART has a waiting-list for candidates if our shelter is full. HART requests a relinquishment donation of $50 for each animal.
 
WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A STRAY CAT
1. If the cat is sick, injured or distressed, call SLO County department of Animal Services (DAS) 805-781-4400 or 805-781-4550.  If the cat is seriously injured and you can move the cat (preferably wrapped in a blanket) yourself, take the cat to the Atascadero Pet Hospital at 9575 El Camino Real (Fwy 101, exit Curbaril Avenue) 805-466-3880.

2. If the cat seems lost and is not feral, take the cat to the closest veterinary clinic to have the cat scanned for a microchip. This will give you the owner’s information so you can contact the owner.  If no microchip is found, photograph the cat and quickly file a “found animal” report so the cat will be listed on DAS’s website. https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/departments/health-agency/animal-services/services-offered/report-a-found-animal
DAS does not accept healthy stray cats because the cats usually are owned and simply wandering.  HART can scan the cat for a microchip during regular business hours, Tuesday - Saturday, noon - 4:30PM.

3. If the cat is feral, assess the cat’s condition and, if safe to do so, leave food and water for the cat.  Monitor the cat’s behavior.  If the cat is in distress, call the SLO County department of Animal Services. If the cat has not been neutered, call HART for advice. 805-927-7377

4. If you find abandoned kittens, call DAS 805-781-4400. Do your best to determine that they have been abandoned. For example, if you find them in distress in a box under a dumpster, they likely have been abandoned. If they’re sleeping comfortably in a safe, hidden location, the mother cat might simply have left them temporarily while hunting for food. Do not disturb a newborn kitten: you might risk frightening away the mother cat. Call HART for advice 805-927-7377.  HART will try to assist you as well as we can. HART cannot always accept every cat because the shelter might be at capacity (50 animals). Caring for animals requires time; HART’s volunteers might not be able to care for additional animals, especially during kitten season (usually May-October). A kitten needs as much attention as four adult cats do. Conditions in the shelter change at any time, for example if ringworm or a virus requires quarantine.