A black and white kitten sits in the foreground of a fundraising flyer for the Humphreys County Humane Society, set against a blurred indoor background.

Please make checks payable to:
Humphreys County Humane Society

Memo: McRib Medical Fund

Mail checks to:
Humphreys County Humane Society
108 Young Road
Waverly, TN 37185

Please include “McRib” in the memo line so we can apply your donation to his medical fund.

❤️ McRib Was Supposed to Be Hospice. Then We Found Out We Could Save Him.McRib is only 3 1/2 months old, but this little rascal has already had one heck of a journey. He first went into the care of one of our wonderful volunteer fosters, where he was loved and cared for just like any other kitten. Then we learned that something was very wrong.McRib was born with pectus excavatum, a congenital birth defect that causes the sternum and rib cage to grow inward instead of outward the way they should. That is what gives him his sunken chest. The scary part is not just what you can see on the outside. As McRib grows, his heart and lungs grow too, and they need room to work. Because his chest has formed inward, there is less and less space for those organs as he gets bigger. We were told that without corrective surgery, his life could be heartbreakingly short, possibly around a year.At first, we did not know there was anything that could be done. So our treasurer made a decision. If McRib was only going to have a short life, she wanted it to be a really good one. She brought him home as a hospice foster, where he could enjoy her cattery and cat walk, be around other cats, stretch out, watch the world go by, sleep somewhere warm, and have all the laps and love he could stand. The plan was simple, even if it broke our hearts: spoil him rotten, keep him comfortable, and make whatever time he had left beautiful.Apparently nobody bothered to tell McRib he was supposed to be a hospice cat. He loves nose rubs, wants in your lap every chance he gets, and if your lap is not quite close enough, he will climb right up onto your shoulder. He gets along with other cats, already uses his litter box, and is sweet, curious, goofy, and just mischievous enough to remind everybody that underneath all the scary medical words, he is still just a baby.Then we got the news we had been hoping for. There is still time to save him. Because McRib is still young, his chest can be surgically corrected. The younger he is when the procedure is done, the better chance his little body has to respond and grow the way it needs to. Just like that, McRib went from hospice foster to medical foster, and instead of preparing to give him a beautiful ending, we started preparing to give him a whole life.McRib is getting his surgery. That part has already been decided. His procedure is expected to cost somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000, and for a small humane society, that is a major medical expense. Nearly $2,000 for one tiny kitten takes a big bite out of the same medical funds we rely on for sick kittens, injured dogs, medications, testing, emergency care, and the unexpected problems that come through our doors all year long.But when there is a way to save an animal in our care, we are going to try. Our treasurer has said it more than once: we will spend what we have to spend to help the animals of Humphreys County. McRib is one of those animals. His surgery is happening whether this fundraiser reaches its goal or not. We are not waiting to see how much money comes in before deciding if his little life is worth saving. McRib already got his yes.What we need now is our community’s help carrying the cost of that yes. Our Zeffy goal is $2,000 to help cover McRib’s surgery and put those funds back so that when the next sick, injured, or hurting animal needs us, we can still say yes to them too. A bill this size can take up a big portion of a small organization’s medical budget, and every donation helps make sure one emergency does not leave us struggling with the next one.Until surgery, McRib has to be watched closely and kept from pushing that little body too hard. He may think he is ten feet tall and bulletproof, but his chest simply does not have the room a normal kitten’s chest should have. His foster family is keeping a close eye on his breathing, energy, appetite, and comfort. And when surgery day comes, our treasurer and her husband are even planning to stay overnight in Nashville so they can be close by while this little boy goes through one of the biggest days of his life.McRib does not understand pectus excavatum. He does not know what hospice means, what surgery costs, or why everybody keeps worrying over him. All he knows is that somebody brought him home, gave him a lap to crawl into, a shoulder to climb on, other cats to be around, and people who love him enough to fight for him.A little while ago, we thought the best thing we could give McRib was a peaceful, love-filled ending. Now we get to hope for so much more. We want him to grow old. We want that black-and-white face to turn gray. We want somebody fussing because he takes up too much room in the bed. We want him fifteen years from now still trying to crawl into somebody’s lap like he did when he was three months old.That future comes with a pretty big vet bill, and we need your help with it. Whether it is $5, $10, $25, $50, or more, every donation helps cover McRib’s care and protects the medical fund that lets us help the next animal who needs us. And if donating is not possible right now, please share his story.McRib went from regular foster, to hospice foster, to medical foster.Now we are fighting for the part that comes next:a long, happy life. ❤️🐾Humphreys County Humane Society McRib’s Medical Fund Goal: $2,000

Humphreys County Humane Society

McRib Is Getting His Chance ❤️

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