Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a kitten from Nautilus Persians?
Our kittens typically start at $1250 and increase in price depending on several factors.
Is there a discount when adopting more then one kitten at a time?
We do offer a discount to families who want to bring two kittens home together! We love it when kittens go together. We also offer this discount to repeat customers.
We offer $250 off your second kitten when taking home two at a time and to returning customers.
Where are you located?
Nautilus Persians is located in beautiful Ocean Shores, Washington.
Do you deliver?
We can hand deliver your Nautilus Persian to your local US airport. The cost varies depending on your location and the time of year. We never ship our kittens cargo. We also can meet you at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport or Portland International if you want to be the one to fly.
Do you allow visits to your cattery?
While we understand the desire to visit our cattery, we are a closed cattery, which means that we do not allow visitors in our home to meet cats and kittens. We take very good care of our cats and kittens and put their health at the top of our priority list
We are a closed cattery for the health of your chosen cat/kitten as well as all other cats and kittens in our cattery. We are however more then happy to share photos, videos, and updates to help you feel confident in selecting your kitten.
Illness and disease can spread very fast in catteries. While breeders can control the cats they bring in through testing, that is much harder with potential families and their pets. If the family has visited another cattery, shelter or rescue recently, or somehow picked up something elsewhere, that can bring in unwanted illness and disease. Our cattery often has newborn, unvaccinated kittens and pregnant girls who are especially vulnerable to illness. Even a single introduced virus could spread rapidly, posing severe risks to both mothers and babies. Our kittens and cats are super healthy and we try everything in our power to keep them that way. Our cattery (which is also our home) is kept super clean for the same reason.
To further help protect our our cats and kittens they do not leave our cattery except for when they need to see a vet or are attending a cat show. After attending cat shows we have very strict quarantine procedures and keep recently shown cats quarantined from our cattery for a minimum of a week after attending a show to ensure that they do not bring any diseases they potentially picked up at shows into the cattery. The first time kittens leave our cattery is at 12 weeks when they receive their FVRCP and Rabies vaccinations. We do not vaccinate until 12 weeks old because studies show that because of maternal antibody interference vaccines are worthless until at LEAST 12 weeks of age .
How do you accept payments?
We accept payments through our website which accepts major debit and credit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, and other popular payment methods.
Your cat/kitten must be paid in full the day of, if picking up in person, or 5 days prior to leaving with a flight nanny. If picking up in person you may pay your remaining balance in cash at the time that you pickup your cat/kitten.
Is your cattery registered ?
Nautilus Persians is registered with both The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA).
Do you do genetic testing on the parents?
All of our breeding cats have been tested using Optical Selection Feline and are 100% clear.
Do you show your cats?
We actively show our Nautilus Persians in CFA's Region 2.
We are a preservation breeder of Persians, and believe that the only way to ethically breed cats is to breed to the breed standard. You can not ethically breed without preserving the look and temperament of your chosen breed. The only way to truly ensure that you are doing that is to have an unbiased educated 3rd party evaluate your cats (a judge).
Some closed catteries do not how their cats due to the risk of picking up disease and infection at shows. Since we find showing to be essential to our role as Persian preservation breeders, we have established strict quarantine procedures for after attending shows to eliminate the risks.
What do you feed your cats and kittens?
We believe that Balanced Homemade Raw food is the best food option for your cat/kitten as it most closely resembles what nature intended for them to eat and provides the best nutrition. We understand though that many homes are uncomfortable with feeding raw so we do introduce our kittens to Royal Canin Persian Kitten wet and dry before going to their forever homes to make the transition easier.
We make our cats and delicious and nutritious Homemade Raw Food containing a ratio of 75% meat, 15% bone and 10% organs. We grind whole chickens and boneless pork loin and mix with a purée of eggs, sardine, and chicken livers. Balanced Homemade Raw food is the best food option for your cat/kitten.
Another option for feeding raw is to use TCFeline PLUS Beef Liver Raw Cat Food Premix. It is a Premix / Supplement that you mix with your own ground or cubes meat to make a Homemade Raw Cat Food Diet. You can use Any meat appropriate for cat consumption can be used with this premix, such as Chicken, Beef, Buffalo, Turkey, pork rabbit and more. Our favorite protein to use is pork as we have found that none of our cats or kittens are sensitive to it.
To make your cats nutritious raw food take two pounds of raw meat that you have freshly ground or cubed yourself. Then take the meat and mix it with two egg yolks, 1/4 cups of TCFeline mix and 1/2 cup cold water. After mixing portion into 1/4 cup balls and freeze. The day before the food will be consumed move to the fridge to thaw until serving. Feed one ball per Persian every morning and every night.
Do your kittens include a health guarantee?
We guarantee that our cats and kittens will be free of any life-threatening genetic defects for a period of 2 years from the sale date of.
Are your kittens vaccinated?
We do not vaccinate our kittens until they are a minimum 12 weeks old. We understand that it has traditionally been recommended by vets to start vaccinations at 8 weeks however studies show that vaccines are worthless because of maternal antibody interference until at LEAST 12 weeks of age and probably more likely 16 weeks. We also understand that it is recommended by many vets to booster the 8 week vaccine at 12 and 16 weeks, but our kittens come with a Rabies shot (required by law) and ONE FVRCP (Feline Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus and Panleukopenia) vaccine. Research shows just one vaccination can provide immunity for a lifetime and over vacation has been proven to increase the risk of injection site sarcomas. Furthermore cat vaccines are made from feline kidney cell lines and because of this, EVERY TIME you give a vaccine, your cat creates antibodies against their own kidney cells. This has been one of the considerations as to why many cats develop kidney disease later in life.
Our kittens are exclusively vaccinated with Purevax vaccines. We have chosen to use a vet who service who uses Purevax vaccines because they use an adjuvant-free technology. By omitting adjuvants, the vaccines help minimize the risk of post-vaccine reactions. We personally have never had any post vaccine reactions since we switched exclusively to Purevax.
As a closed cattery, we try to visit the vet as little as possible because we don’t want to bring home anything to our cats or kittens. We have heard too many horror stories of people bringing home nasty bugs to their catteries after vet visits that sometimes result in seriously illness and even death.
We do not use topical flea and tick preventatives and have never had issues with fleas or ticks. Topicals have been known to cause many adverse side effects and are terrible for our environment. One 2023 study from the Imperial College London found that one monthly flea treatment for a large dog can kill 25 million bees! We don’t believe in using pesticides in or around our home. We have found that with regular grooming our Persians stay flea and tick free.
Why can’t my kitten come home at 8 weeks?
It is a common misconception that kittens can be separated from their mothers as early as 8 weeks old. However, kittens separated at this time are still at risk for developmental, social, and health issues. Instead, kittens should remain with their mothers until they are 12-16 weeks old. By this age (and with proper human interaction and training), kittens should be able to go to the bathroom in an appropriate place (i.e. the litter box), play on their own instead of needing other littermates, they will have a fully developed immune system, will be vaccinated, and will not be a victim of unnecessary stress that comes from weaning too early.
Are you a PKD/FELV/FIV Negative cattery?
Yes, we are a PKD/FELV/FIV and parasite free cattery. All of breeding cats are also genetically screened using Optimal Selection and are 100% genetically clear.
Are your cats and kittens well socialized?
All of our cats live in our home and are not kept in cages. We keep our intact males in our bedroom and the girls/retired cats have free roam of the rest of the house. Our kittens are kept in a clear acrylic enclosure in our living room until they are old enough to safely roam the house with the girls/retired cats. Our kittens spoiled members of our family. All of our cats and kittens go home well socialized. They experience all the sights and sounds of a normal home environment: people, music, TV, the vacuum, the sound of pots and pans, the toilet flushing, and other pets (under supervision).
Our kittens will be introduced to grooming and given weekly baths and blow-dried starting at 6 weeks to ensure that they are easy to groom when they go to their forever homes. Our adults are bathed and blow-dried at least monthly and are all easy to groom.
Can I declaw my Nautilus Persian?
Here at Nautilus Persians, we do not allow declawing of our cats or kittens. Our contractual agreement on no declawing is enforceable. We recommend monthly nail trims on the kittens and as needed on adults, or nail caps to be applied.
Declawing is the amputation of the last bone of each toe. It would be like cutting off your fingers at the last knuckle.
Declawing can cause paw pain, back pain, infection, tissue necrosis (tissue death) and lameness. Removing claws changes the way a cat's foot meets the ground and can cause pain. Improperly removed claws can regrow, causing nerve damage and bone spurs. Declawing also can cause behavioral issues such as litter box aversion.
Don’t Persians Have Breathing Difficulties?
All too often we hear the myth that Persians have breathing difficulties, and find it important to help squash this lie. Persians, when responsibly bred to the CFA established Persian Breed Standard, have no breathing difficulties at all.
The CFA show standards exist for a reason, to protect the health of the breed. Persians with a properly placed break and big open nares are just as healthy if not healthier than any other breed. It is Persians with breaks that are placed too high and that hive pinched nares that have breathing difficulties. It is important to breed Persians with properly placed breaks and large open nares. In doing so the cats will be happy and healthy. Problems only arise when breeding Persians with poor breaks and small nares.
As a Persian Preservation Breeder I am amused that so many people are so uneducated about Persians and just believe blatant lies about the breed.
When faced with these people I often ask them to please educate themselves and to attend a few CFA cat shows so they can experience a true quality preservation bred Persian. Anyone who has spent time around well bred Persian cats and kittens knows that they are perfectly healthy and happy kitties.
How Do I Keep my Persian Mat Free?
The key to having a mat free Persian is having a properly clean Persian.
Persians have greasy skin and coats. Grease causes the hair to stick together rather than fall away during the shedding process. Grease and dead coat combine to create mats, which lead to pelts. Regular removal of grease and dead coat prevents tangles, which prevents mats, which prevents pelting. If a good degreasing bath is done on a regular basis (4-6 weeks for most cats) and the coat is thoroughly blown out with a high velocity dryer, matting becomes a thing of the past. It is important to also comb out the coat thoroughly once it is dry, to remove any loose hair that is still hanging around.
Simply combing or brushing your Persian’s coat out does nothing to remove the mat-causing factors (grease and loose hair). Combing or brushing a greasy, icky coat simply moves the grease and ick all over, creating an even bigger problem in time. I repeat, the key to having a mat free Persian is having a properly clean Persian.
Many professional cat groomers have a guarantee that they offer to all clients: if they allow them to groom their cat on the prescribed frequency (normally 4-6 weeks), they guarantee their cat never gets matted or pelted. If the spacing between grooms is appropriate and the groomer does their job correctly, a cat owner will not have to do any at-home “grooming” besides eye maintenance in between grooming sessions.
If you can learn to give your Persian a proper degreasing bath on a routine schedule followed by a good blowout and combing, you’ll honestly have no need to take them to a groomer. If at home grooming is not for you, then getting your cat on a regular 4-6 week grooming schedule with a professional feline groomer will also keep them mat free.
How Do I Keep my Persian’s Eyes Clean?
Persians are prone to excessive tearing. If their eye area is not cleaned regularly, not only will they develop unsightly tear stains, discharge can build up in the creases below the eye and along the nose break causing their skin to become red and irritated underneath. It is important to gently cleanse their eye area at least once daily to prevent tear staining and buildup of irritating discharge.
- Use cotton make-up pads soaked in saline solution to clean the eye area. Saline solution is found at any grocery store or pharmacy in the same aisle as the contact lens solution. Use one cotton ball per eye and gently wipe around the eye and nose break to get rid of any crusties or discharge.
- Pat the eye area dry with a tissue or piece of toilet paper.
- Use a soft makeup brush to apply a small amount of grooming eye powder to keep the area from staining.
How can I reserve a kitten?
If you would like to purchase an available kitten a non-refundable deposit is required to hold your kitten until he or she is ready for their forever home (Typically between 12 to 16 weeks depending on individual development).
We also offer a free waitlist for future litters. To get on our waitlist you must fill out our application. Once on our waitlist you will be notified when a new litter is born and you will have your pick according to your placement on our waitlist. Please note that we do not assign kittens until they are 5 weeks of age. This gives time for the kitten to develop so that we can access their confirmation and personalities before offering them to those on our waitlist.
Once you choose your kitten a non-refundable deposit is required before your kitten will be marked as reserved for you.