Adso — outlander

Adso is Claire Fraser's pet cat.

Personal History

Jamie Fraser gives Adso to Claire Fraser in October 1770, just after the Gathering at Mount Helicon.

Events of the Novels

The Fiery Cross

Jamie Fraser picks up Adso on the road after the Gathering, intending him to keep mice out of Claire's surgery. Jamie suggests that she name her new pet Adso, after his mother's cat. Adso takes up semi-permanent residence in a cupboard in Claire's surgery.

When Rollo returns, Adso is initially suspicious of him.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Adso has a slight fascination with Major MacDonald, though his feelings aren't reciprocated. When MacDonald moves too quickly, Adso digs his claws into the Major's leg and knocks off his wig.

An Echo in the Bone

Claire is forced to leave Adso in the care of Amy Higgins when she and Jamie leave the Ridge in 1777.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood

When Claire and Jamie arrive on the Ridge after their long absence, Claire is moved to the point of tears when Adso reappears at her side almost immediately.

Personality

Adso is an adept mouser. He has a tendency to hide in cupboards and other unexpected places when the house is filled with people. He is fascinated with hair, whether wig or real. Adso is "tolerant of small children" like Jemmy.

Physical Appearance

Adso is "about the size of the average rat" when Claire first receives him, but Jamie says that the size of Adso's feet indicate he will grow to be much larger. His eyes are celadon green.^[1]

Name

Jamie explains that Adso's name is a reference to an Austrian monk – a play on the similar pronunciations of Melk, the city in Austria, and milk, the substance. "Adso of Melk", however, is actually a reference to the narrator of Umberto Eco's 1980 novel Il nome della rosa (The Name Of The Rose), a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327. It was translated into English by William Weaver in 1983.^[2]