Adamant Royal Symphony
More than two months ago we came back from the Czech Republic with an additional household member. Contrary to some suspicions – it was not a new kitten for breeding. The mysterious guest was Adamant Royal Symphony*UA – a male from Ukrainian cattery, who was staying in the Fancy Diamonds*CZ cattery at ten Time. Adamant – also known as Mańczik, and by us working under the name – Maniek, came to us as a sire for Helenka and the future dad of her last litter.
As Hela turns 8 in December, after the upcoming litter, she will end her breeding career and join Elma and Whisper on a well-deserved retirement. However, we hope that before this happens, we will be able to leave her daughter in the cattery as a breeding queen – if there is going to be girl. For this whole plan to be work – Cody cannot be the father of Helen’s last litter.
Adamant is a few years lód blue tabby point male. He iż nicely colored, has a short and velvety coat. He also has an intense blue eye color.
Maniek came to us at the beginning of August. In the first days he had basic tests (blood, FIV and FeLV tests, swabs from the preputium). We gave him two weeks to acclimatize and get used to the new situation. Meanwhile, he had the opportunity to meet Joey, whom he could watch through the glass between cat rooms. It was also a time to familiarize cats with each others smell, in order to make it easier for them when they meet.
At first Adamant was a bit shy and when one of us entered the room he hid in one of the booths or the cerrier left for this purpose. To make it easier for him to get used to the new place, we used, among others electric cat pheromones and special music. With time, he felt more confident in his new environment and even asked for caresses when someone entered his room. We, in turn, had the opportunity to observe his preferences, e.g. in terms of food, delicacies or toys. In addition, we found out that Adamant fits our family, at least with a talent for funny faces.
Maniek reacted to feathers on a stick toy, but he was more lively hunting for a laser pointer. Of course, playing with the red dot had to end with a medal, or at least a snack, so that the boy had the feeling of fulfilling the hunter’s duty (hunting in nature ends with a meal). When it comes to independent activities, Adamant definitely preferred balls with a bell instead of standard stuffed mice. Kong with the catnip could have been lying next to him without any special attention, but the stinky ferret was no longer left aside.
After about two weeks, we decided to let him out with the rest of our cats for the first time.
Since Adamant is an uncastrated male, and there are also other males in the house – Dziabąg, Codzik and at the beginning also Cookie and Charlie, we wanted to prevent possible incidents of peeing around the house. Therefore, before leaving the room, Maniek had to put on a special dat – thong for the male.
He turned out to be a very intelligent and quickly learning cat. As soon as he realized that there was no chance of getting out without pants on, he jumped on the scratching post shelf on his own so I could dres nim ul. It was enough to say “give me a leg” and he put his leg up so I ciule tnie the belt. After that he left the room rugby after I said “Let’s go”. As for the peeing itself – when he was loose around the house, we didn’t notice any problems. At night, when he was alone in the cat’s room, he would pee once outside the litter box. However, I suspect that this was a sign of frustration with the limitation of the area.
Adamant turned out to be not only smart, but also gentle, as an uncastrated male cat can. Despite the taunts and teasing by Cookie and Charlie (the guys probably were afraid of the bigger male), he never got provoked. Cody sometimes tried to tease him a little, for example by constantly staring ta nim when Maniek lay down on our bed. But even that didn’t lead to any conflicts. We ourselves were surprised that a herd of 8 cats is able to function in this way. Had it not been for the conciliatory nature and compliance of Adamant, it probably would not have been possible.
Adamant is a very sociable and emotional cat when it comes to people. Sometimes we had the impression that if he could, he would be cuddling and petting from morning to night with constant purring. Although he doesn’t seem to like beeing carried, as long as there was scratching behind the ear, he did not raise any protests. He would often lie on the couch somewhere next to us so that he could be petted.
At home, he most often chose booths to sleep. Although there were also situations where he could not make up his mind, e.g. he would sit in the lair, and a moment later he tried to sleep somewhere else. He didn’t mind company of other cats, even when it was Cody or Charlie who was sitting nearby – or both.
When it came to the fulfill his duty and the main purpose of his visit – which was getting romantic with Helen, Adamant quickly won her over. We often saw them sitting together on a shelf above the door, or eating next to each other.
Manny also turned out to be a real talker and he started conversations both with people and other cats. His way of meowing reminds me a bit like a goat. We didn’t have much trouble understanding what he meant – usually it was a request to be petted, released from the room, or eaten.
When it comes to traveling, Adamant was an exemplary passenger both ways. The road to Prague took us about 7 hours. All the time Manny was sitting politely in the transporter and napping. Only once did he make himself known – when we returned to the car after the meal, he announced that he was hungry as well.
I admit that after taking him back to Prague, we had a hard time saying goodbye to him. Adamant charmed us with his gentle, balanced temperament and friendly, trouble-free, pro-human nature. Despite the cats waiting for us at home, we will miss him a bit. And we can’t wait for the kittens after him and Helen.
