Ragamuffin
Meoww!!
RagaMuffin females are generally considerably smaller than males, both being muscular, and heavy with a tendency toward a fatty pad (greater omentum) on the lower abdomen.
In 5 Words
- Friendly
- Sociable
- Intelligent
- Patience
- Easy-going
Snapshot
WEIGHT RANGE:
Male: large: >12 lbs.
Female: large: >12 lbs.
EYE COLOR:
Amber, Blue, Green, Gold, Hazel, Odd-eyed
EXPECTATIONS:
Longevity Range: 8-13 yrs
Social/Attention Needs: Moderate
Tendency to Shed: High
COAT:
Length: Long
Characteristics: Silky
Colors: White, Black, Blue, Cream, Red, Brown, Lilac, Platinum, Fawn, Chocolate, Chestnut, Cinnamon, Lavender, Cameo, Silver
Pattern: Solid Color, Points, Mitted
Less Allergenic: No
Overall Grooming Needs: Moderate, High
CLUB RECOGNITION:
Cat Association Recognition:
ACFA
Prevalence: So-so
Characteristics
Learn About the Ragamuffin
The breed had developed without rules or special cares; until, in the 1980s, Brazilian-born engineer Paulo Samuel Ruschi, a cat breeder currently living in New York City, started to settle the rules for the breed after deciding to study genetic and morphological aspects of the cats running in parks, gardens and streets of several cities in Brazil.
If you are wondering if the Ragamuffin is related to the Ragdoll, the answer is yes. Some breeders wanted to introduce new colors and patterns while others thought it was important to widen the breed’s gene pool.
The history of this breed makes a bizarre story, but is well documented and can be pinpointed to a Californian breeder of Persian cats, Ann Baker, and her Raggedy Ann breeding prefix. Ann Baker had a neighbour who looked after a colony of feral cats, including one named Josephine, an unregistered white longhair.
In the 1960′s Anne Baker, a breeder of Persians, came across a stray angora-type cat named Josephine that had been fed by one of her neighbors. This cat’s kittens gained a reputation for their exceptionally sweet nature and a habit of going limp when hugged.
The Ragamuffin shares the same ancestors as the Ragdoll breed. In 1994 a group of breeders left Ann Baker’s Ragdoll group and decided to join the cat fancy. To avoid violating the trademarked Ragdoll name, some breeders used the original Ragdoll stock to develop the more variably coated Ragamuffin.
The overall impression of the RagaMuffin should be one of sweetness and robust health. RagaMuffin females are generally considerably smaller than males, both being muscular, and heavy with a tendency toward a fatty pad (greater omentum) on the lower abdomen. The RagaMuffin is a large cat. The overall impression is one of sweetness and robust health. RagaMuffins attain full maturity at approximately four years of age; mature males usually weigh 12 to 20 pounds; mature females usually weigh 8 to 15 pounds. Altered males are more likely to reach 20 plus pounds than whole males.
RagaMuffins are a muscular, heavy breed of cat needing approximately four to five years to fully mature.The physical traits of the breed include a rectangular, broad-chested body with shoulders supporting a short neck. The Ragamuffin is a heavy muscular breed, with a broad chest and powerful shoulders, and there is often a fleshy pad in the lower abdomen. The head is a broad, modified wedge with a rounded forehead and a nose dip. RagaMuffins come in all coat colors and patterns with a medium-length coat that increases in length toward the stomach.
The RagaMuffin is famous for its calm and amenable temperament, and indeed, the GCCF show standard for this breed unusually includes 15 points (out of 100) for temperament. It is said that the only extreme allowed in this breed is its friendly, sociable and intelligent nature.
Despite its placid nature, the Ragamuffin is capable of playing with a lot of energy. The even temper of the breed ensures that it gets along with its family very well and also gets on with strangers.
RagaMuffins are known to be very affectionate and sweet. They love people and their favourite activity is to be cuddled. They will do nearly anything for a tummy rub or a head pet. Patience and calmness, along with an easy-going temperament, makes them one of the perfect family pets.
This is generally a very healthy breed of cat without any known breed-related defects, and is a long-lived breed often living until their late teens. RagaMuffins need annual vaccination boosters against the common feline ailments of flu and enteritis, as well as against Feline Leukaemia if they go outdoors.
RagaMuffins are basically healthy and robust cats without any breed-specific health problems. However, since they have Ragdoll and Persian ancestors, some lines may have inherited diseases specific to those breeds.
Although the coat of the RagaMuffin is described as ‘non-matting’, this breed is nevertheless a semi-longhaired variety and will get knotted if it is not groomed every day with a brush and comb, especially under the legs, and if any loose fur is ingested this could cause hairballs. The plush, low-maintenance coat resists matting and is easily cared for with a few minutes of brushing or combing twice a week.
