CH Nautilus Admiral was TICA Northwest Region’s Best Persian Kitten for the 2025–2026 show year. He achieved that honor in just two shows.
When you look at Admiral’s pedigree, you might notice something surprising.
A breed-winning kitten came from two parents who have never entered a show hall.
And that was intentional.
Not because his parents lacked value.
Not because they were overlooked.
But because preservation breeding is about recognizing the qualities each cat brings to the future of the breed—and those qualities are not always measured by ribbons.
The Cats Behind Admiral
Every exceptional cat has a story behind them. Before Admiral ever stepped into the show ring, he was the result of a carefully considered pairing between two cats, each of which has brought something valuable to my breeding program.
Admiral’s Sire: Starbabies Man-of-War of Nautilus
Admiral’s sire is Starbabies Man-of-War of Nautilus, a white Persian masking red and white bicolor that I imported from Russia during my early days of breeding.
One of the main reasons I chose Manno for my program was his impressive pedigree. I had seen numerous photos of his relatives dominating show halls all over my Facebook feed, and I was drawn to the qualities they consistently displayed.
Manno—as we call him—is the sweetest boy.
He does not spray. He does not get into fights with the other cats. He is gentle with the girls when duty calls.
He has big round eyes, a smooth head, tiny ears, and a very compact body.
A very compact body.
In fact, he is the smallest male I have ever had by a long shot.
I will admit, I was a little disappointed when I first saw him in person. The cats I had seen from his family in photos and videos had been large, impressive Persians, and I had expected him to be the same.
And even though Manno himself did not inherit the larger size seen throughout his family, that trait did not disappear. It showed up again in Admiral.
Sometimes the pedigree really does matter. A small cat from a family of consistently larger cats may simply be an outlier in that generation—not necessarily a cat that will continue producing that trait in future generations.
Manno’s small size is not the only thing that made him unlikely to be a show cat.
Every time a bug finds its way into my cattery, Manno is sure to catch it. There is no way Manno could hold his own against some of the larger boys, and even if he could, I am pretty sure he would manage to bring an unwanted souvenir home with him.
Manno was never destined for the show hall.
But that does not mean he was not valuable.
He brought qualities to my breeding program that mattered: his sweet temperament, his beautiful eyes, his smooth head, his tiny ears, and his compact Persian type.
Admiral’s Dam: Nautilus Seaside Rendezvous
Admiral’s dam is Nautilus Seaside Rendezvous.
Ron was the keeper from my very first litter of Persians.
Much like Manno, she is incredibly sweet and has lovely big eyes.
Unlike Manno, she is not small, she is not cobby, and she rarely gets sick.
We sometimes jokingly call Ron a “wiener Persian” because of her longer body.
Poor girl.
But Ron brings something incredibly valuable to my program: health, size, resilience, and consistency.
She may not have been the most compact Persian, but she has qualities that are just as important when building a breeding program.
The Combination
Every cat has strengths and weaknesses.
No living thing is perfect.
By pairing Manno and Ron, I was hoping they would produce a kitten who took the best of both of their traits and combined them into one package.
Admiral was that kitten.
Admiral came from a litter of six kittens, and I placed each of his littermates as companions for one reason or another.
And that is okay.
Sometimes a pairing is incredibly prepotent. Every kitten in a litter may go on to achieve amazing things, and the parents may eventually become recognized for their contributions.
But sometimes it only takes one extraordinary cat to move a breeding program forward.
Sometimes it only takes one kitten to influence the future of a breed.
More Than a Ribbon
Admiral himself is not perfect.
No cat is.
His ears are bigger than I would like, and I wish he had more coat factor.
That is okay.
When it comes time for Admiral to sire my next generation, I will look for females who complement his strengths and balance his weaknesses. Breeding is not about finding a perfect cat—it is about understanding the cats in front of you and making thoughtful choices for the cats that come after them.
If my calculations are correct, those carefully planned pairings will give me another kitten worthy of carrying on the Nautilus Persians name.
Because Admiral’s success did not begin when he entered the show ring.
It began long before that—with two cats who never earned a title, but who were exactly where they needed to be.