The rent-free roommate

Our third roommate, Owen, spends most of his time lounging around on the couch and demanding to be fed. He doesn't lift a finger to help with chores, doesn't contribute to rent, and hasn't been employed since I met him 4.5 years ago. According to Sam, who has known him a bit longer, he's never held down a job, and he even spent some harrowing time homeless on the streets of Philadelphia.

To top it all off, he's a bit of a recluse. Some people don't even realize we have a roommate, because whenever anyone comes to visit he runs away and hides pretty much the whole time. He comes out to say hi occasionally, but most people -- even our closest friends and family -- haven't met him for any extended period of time. So I decided to write a post about him, with lots of photos for those who are curious to learn more.

Why do we allow such a degenerate to live with us, and free of charge no less? Well, he and Sam are BFFs, and I've grown fond of him over time too (despite being allergic to him). See, here are Sam and Owen bro'ing it up on a pretty typical afternoon in the apartment:

                           

Oh, in case it wasn't clear, Owen is a cat. Forgot to mention that.

So without further ado, here's our third roommate in action:

A young Owen, shortly after being rescued from the mean streets of Philadelphia by Sam's stepdad and nursed back from the brink (the very very brink) of death by Sam's mom:

Owen in his teen years, living with the two of us for the first time in Cambridge:

Can you believe Sam lets him get away with this kind of behavior? Paws off!

"Hiding" in one of his favorite places. Yeah, we can see you under there.

Always hogging the remote

His most flattering angle

Pretty typical Owen behavior

In this photo, Sam is seeing how many coasters he can balance on Owen's back. I can't remember what that was all about, but it's a good demonstration of just how obsessed Owen is with doing absolutely anything and everything that involves spending time with Sam.

Yes, Owen, you have found a place where we accidentally peeled away part of the wall. Don't tell the landlord.

Nothing else to say here but "awwwwwwww"

Chilling under the coffee table

Sam doing leg lifts, Owen trying to stay as close as possible

More typical Owen behavior

Pretty much his favorite place to be ever, at Sam's feet on the couch

Sleeping on his favorite rug. Too bad he peed on his favorite rug soon after and we had to throw it away. It defies logic.

Rolling around, and though you can't tell from the photo, it's unquestionable that he's also squeaking loudly

Hiding, pre birthday party (Hint: look for his tail)

Showing us his x-ray vision

What he's doing right now as I write this

Well okay, I guess he's pretty darn cute. And yes, I take a lot of photos of him.