Tim Traps Cats is a grassroots nonprofit organization founded in 2021. We are working folk who are working hard to create a healthier, more balanced urban ecosystem in Springfield, Missouri. We do this by providing resources for spay, neuter, and vaccination services for unsheltered cat and dog populations.
No. Tim Traps Cats is not a shelter, does not take owner surrenders or shelter intakes, and does not host adoption events. We specialize strictly in population control and disease prevention fieldwork (Trap-Neuter-Return for community cats and disease (such as parvovirus) prevention for unsheltered dogs).
We have two active programs: Ozarks TNR and Stop Parvo Springfield MO. Ozarks TNR is focused on humanely trapping, sterilizing, vaccinating, and returning outdoor community cats to curb overpopulation and reduce shelter strain across the Springfield area. Stop Parvo Springfield, MO is dedicated to protecting dogs in unsheltered and extremely low-income communities by providing core preventative care, including parvo vaccinations, food, and essential gear.
T stands for Trap, which is when Outdoor community cats are humanely captured using specialized live traps. (We like Tomahawk Cat traps)
N stands for Neuter, and this is when the cat is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and given an ear tip.
R stands for Return (or sometimes rehome) which is done once the cat has recovered from surgery; they are then returned to its outdoor territory/home where they were found or placed with a licensed shelter if deemed “shelter friendly”.
Feral cats are unsocialized to humans and experience extreme distress when confined indoors or placed in shelter environments. Furthermore, removing or eradicating cats creates a "vacuum effect" which leads to new breeding pairs quickly moving in to exploit the available food and shelter. Returning sterilized, vaccinated cats prevents new litters while naturally deterring new cats from entering those spaces. Cats that were dumped at feral colonies and are considered extremely friendly and used to humans (or are under 8 weeks of age) can be placed into shelters to be rehomed.
An ear tip is the universal sign that an outdoor cat has been sterilized and vaccinated through a TNR program. While under anesthesia, a small, straight cut is made to remove the top few millimeters of one ear (leaving a flat top). If you spot a cat with an ear tip, they are already fixed, and tell other TNR advocates that this cat does not need to be trapped again!
Submit a request directly through our Report a Cat Form. Because all local TNR programs experience high volume and waitlists, we review requests based on urgency and resource availability. We currently do not have a quick response rate and take cases based on two major factors: completing the website form and cases that make the maximum impact. This is an extremely damaging process, and all TNR programs have waiting lists.
Tim Traps Cats is a field and outreach team, not a 24/7 emergency clinic.
We are always looking for hands-on trappers, foster partners for temporary recovery, and community advocates! To join the team, fill out our Volunteer Form.