Tigger's happy adoption was followed by some very bad news: He had kidney failure, which is irreversible, but manageable with a prescription diet and medicine. And then one day, as Trentadue, 40, just so happened to be brushing Tigger, he discovered a large tumor on the cat's belly. Because of his age and kidney problems, surgery was ruled out

"We had no idea if we would have another month or another year with Tigger," stated Buisch.

And so, she and Trentadue set out with extra determination to fill the ginger cat's twilight days with love and adventure.

Lately, Tigger gets ferried around the family's hometown of Baltimore in a cat-carrying sling and has truly become a local celebrity. He's famous further on, too. Photos of Tigger's walk on a beach last year went completely viral, melting the hearts of cat lovers the world over, who have since been following the charismatic feline on his Facebook page and showering Tigger with all kinds of treats, blankets, beds and homemade catnip toys.

Through all the gifts, his family has learned Tigger is not a huge fan of the catnip toys — but he did love the boxes they come in. So this past fall, Buisch and Trentadue arranged for a shoot with pet photographer Heidi Moore Trasatti (and as it turns out, the senior catizen is quite the ham).

Trasatti created all kinds of cardboard sculptures for darling Tigger to play around with — a hot air balloon, a throne, a boat — and also lured him into exploring them with yummy treats.

"Tigger's favorite sculpture was probably the television set, with the throne as a close second. But honestly, Tigger seemed content with anything that involved chicken," stated Trasatti.

Buisch and Trentadue don't know just how much time they still have with Tigger. His tumor has gotten quite a bit bigger, but he's put on weight — a good sign of health — and he seems to feel well.

So this past weekend, just in time for his 22nd birthday party, Buisch and Trentadue treated Tigger to a tuna, chicken, and ham birthday cake, which he readily shared with his good buddy, Stuart. The two gobbled up the treat and then went into what Buisch can only describe as a "purring meat coma."

Once Tigger's belly was full of his very favorite foods, his adoring parents set out to "smother him with love," stated Buisch.

"When you have a cat like Tigger that had a home for 19 years to end up sitting in a cold cage for a year, it was like he was broken when we got him," she stated. "Now we get to watch him enjoy life to the very end."

Happy Birthday, Tigger, from your friends at The Best Cat Page!