Humane society volunteer honored as "Hometown Hero"

If you ask Timothy Kraus what his biggest passion in life is, you’ll get the same answer every time: cats.

Tim’s love of cats started when he was just a child, thanks to his very first cat named Kiki, a Siamese/Tiger mix. Tim’s tastes have since changed; now his favorite cat is a Ragdoll breed. What hasn’t changed is Tim’s dedication to helping the felines around him flourish.

Tim is a volunteer with special needs who spends hours volunteering at the Humane Society of Pinellas each week. Tim began volunteering years ago as a way to give back to his community, keep himself busy and help the surrendered cats find new families.

“I love it. It warms my heart to see them get adopted and go to a good family,” said Tim. “When they first come in, they’re not social. I get them to socialize.”

Thanks to Tim’s volunteer work, dozens of cats have a new lease on life. Tim spends hours getting the cats to learn to trust again, working to undo their emotional damage so they can find new homes. Fox 13 News in Tampa was so inspired by Tim’s dedication, they featured him in one of their Hometown Hero segments in May of 2019.

Tim is also an Ambassador for a local nonprofit called Help Us Gather, or HUG. HUG advocates for inclusion and connects individuals with disabilities to social events and activities.

Tim has been honored with HUG’s 2019 Mr. Charitable award. For more information, visit HelpUsGather.org or call the HUG office at (727) 489-5885. To see adoptable pets from the Humane Society of Pinellas, visit HumaneSocietyofPinellas.org or stop by the shelter at 3040 FL-590 in Clearwater.