Ragamuffin: Cat Derived From The Ragdoll, With A Traditional Dress

The Ragamuffin can be summarized in a Ragdoll with a colorful dress, but it deserves much more detail for you to discover this adorable cat! Not recognized by the LOOF, it is very rare in France. It is mostly found in Canada and the United States.

Discover the secrets that Ragamuffin cats hide.

The Ragamuffin In A Nutshell

• • Other name(s), nicknames: muffin

• • Life expectancy: between 12 and 15 years

• • Weight: 4 to 6 kilos (female), 6 to 9 kilos (male)

• • Height: between 35 and 40 cm at the withers

• • Silhouette: long and powerful

• • Hair: medium length

• • Dresses: traditional

• • Character: peaceful, affectionate, docile

• • Origin: USA

• • Cat breed recognized by the LOOF: no

Ragamuffin Breed History

The origin of the Ragamuffin is common with that of the Ragdoll. Indeed, in the 1960s, Ann Baker, a breeder, created a new breed, the Ragdoll, from a long-haired cat found in the street, named Josephine, and a male probably from Persians. The descendants relaxed completely in the arms of humans, so much so that they were called Rag Dolls.

The breeder was considered whimsical by other professionals in the field. They turned away. Indeed, it imposed rigid rules on them to continue the work of the race. Conflicts thus broke out between Ann Baker, the creator of the breed, and the other breeders.

In 1994, 4 breeders decided to create a new breed, the Ragamuffin. The kittens were Ragdolls who did not exhibit a colourpoint coat, but which, just like them, turned out particularly docile and gentle in behavior. We took the prefix “rag” for rag, because these cats also became totally limp once in the arms. To differentiate them, they were bred to Himalayans, Persians, and semi-long-haired alley cats. Until 2010, they could still be mated to Ragdolls.

They were recognized by the WCF (World Cat Federation) in 2009, but this is not not yet the case for the LOOF, the body responsible for promoting the different breeds of cats in France, nor for most feline bodies. Only 3 other associations accept this cat:

• • The AFC (Canadian Feline Association),

• • The CFA (Cat Fancier’s Association),

• • The GCCF (the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy).

Physical Characteristics Of The Ragamuffin Breed

The Ragamuffin is a large cat, slow growing. He has powerful muscles and bones. It has a mid-length coat and hardly differs from its ancestor in terms of its morphology.

Her head is broad, triangular and plumper than that of the Ragdoll. His muzzle is straight, rounded and the chin is strong. Ring is shorter than that of the Ragdoll because of marriages with Persians. It is also deeper. The forehead and the skull are rounded. Ears, which are rectangular in shape, are medium in size, but wide at the base. They are rounded at the end. His eyes are almond shaped while they are more oval in its cousin.

The coat of the Ragamuffin is mid-length, abundant and silky. The hairs are longer on the collar and the breeches.

As for its paws, they are of medium length, but powerful. They lead to rounded and very wide feet.

Finally, tail is long and plumed.

The Colors Of The Ragamuffin

All colors are allowed : black, blue, red, white, cream, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn…

It can be plain or striped, silver (silver) or smoke (smoked), with or without white. Tortoiseshell (tortie) is also part of the dresses accepted for the Ragamuffin, just like golden, mink, sepia.

All nose and pad colors are also accepted without the need to match his fur. The same goes for the eyes (a small exception for these: cats with mink coats must have blue eyes and the eyes of sepias must be yellow/gold to green).

Only the Siamese pattern (colourpoint) is refused.

Character of the Ragamuffin

Like its ancestor, it is particularly sociable, affectionate, easy to handle and easygoing. He is also a calm and peaceful cat. He follows his master everywhere, which earned him the name, as for the Maine Coon, of cat-dog. Kindness and gentleness sum up this big cat who has great confidence in his humans. Besides, he has no preference, he loves his whole family. He don’t like to be alone and should receive a good dose of cuddles and attention on a daily basis. His happiness: a quiet evening with his humans!

Note that each cat is unique and that these personality traits are general, but leave room for a few exceptions.

Ideal Living Conditions For The Ragamuffin

It is not not very active, but he still needs to exercise to avoid being overweight. Toys, cat tree and scratching posts are necessary for him. He does not need a garden and, if he accesses it, will have to benefit from a secure and fenced area so as not to be robbed. Indeed, his overconfidence puts him in danger on the outside.

It’s a cat that can be very happy in an apartment, because what matters to him is his family. He gets along well with children, with whom he is very patient and sociable. He also easily accepts other animals, cats and dogs, provided they have been introduced to him gradually.

Finally, he can perfectly live with a single person or an elderly person, because he likes calm. What matters to him is being able to enjoy his human every day.

Ragamuffin Grooming and Maintenance

As he has semi-long hair, the Ragamuffin should be brushed often. His fur, however, makes fewer knots than other breeds because he has little undercoat. During the biannual moult, daily brushing or, if possible, 4 times a week, is necessary. Outside, once a week is enough.

Brushing prevents him from swallowing too much dead hair, then vomiting trichobezoars (hairballs) or developing more serious digestive disorders.

Brushing is a care that must be taught to him from an early age in order to get him used to it. The item brushing and grooming your Ragdoll well is suitable for the Ragamuffin because they are very close.

It is also recommended to brush or, at least, tocare for teeth of this cat who tends to develop periodontosis.

Main Ragamuffin Health Problems

The Ragamuffin is generally healthy, but it took over some genetic diseases from the Ragdoll and the Persian. Thus, some are found in the lines:

He can also develop overweight which progresses to obesity due to its inactive temperament. Their diet should therefore be closely monitored.

He must visit the veterinarian regularly to check his general health, his vaccination status and his weight (about once a year).

Feeding The Ragamuffin

The Ragamuffin has no particular metabolic disease, but it is rather greedy and not very active. It can therefore quickly become overweight. This is why a quality food must be given to him. It consists of top-of-the-range croquettes and pâtés, without excess carbohydrates and composed of quality animal proteins and fats. It is therefore advisable to avoid everything that is supermarket food, insect-based or vegan, as well as food that is too low in animal products and too rich in cereals.

He must also be well hydrated with a bowl of water that must always be available (or a cat fountain).

It can also be fed household ration (homemade) or at BARF (raw food) if you have sufficient knowledge to provide it with non-deficient and balanced bowls in relation to its needs as a domestic carnivore.

Price of Ragamuffin

It is a cat that is not recognized by the LOOF. It cannot therefore be registered there or sold as a purebred cat. However, a kitten raised under the conditions of compliance with the legislation, the rules of the art in terms of breeding and taking into account the price of the selection, cannot be sold for less than 700 and 1000 euros. IF this is the case, certain rules have not been respected in order to be able to reduce the costs.

The amount of 300 euros mentioned here and there on the Internet does not correspond to its cost for the breeder, nor to the price of kittens who have benefited from compulsory identification, various vaccines, deworming, veterinary care, weeks of socialization, selection work and health tests carried out to ensure a healthy lineage.

Nevertheless, as it does not have a pedigree in France, the sale of such a cat is based on trust and therefore on risk taking when you do not know the breeder. Indeed, his lineage is unverifiable.

Celebrity Ragamuffins

The Ragamuffin is a rare cat. We have yet to identify any famous people living with one of them.

Anecdotes Around The Ragamuffin

Among the fun facts, the original name was “Liebling,” a German word that means “darling” and translates to English as “sweetheart.” Finally, Ragamuffin made it possible to maintain a link with the original breed by the prefix Rag, but a cattery of one of the first American breeders is called liebling cats in homage to this first name found.

Our Advice For Choosing The Right Ragamuffin

As the Ragamuffin is not recognized by the LOOF, you cannot find breeders in France. Indeed, the condition for qualifying a cat as “purebred” is that it be registered with this official body.

These cats are mainly found in the USA and Canada, but we do not recommend air travel for a companion kitten. Not only is it anxiety-provoking for him, but it also does not allow him to closely check whether he is healthy and balanced.

Shelters and associations are home to many unfortunate little cats. Some, even without a pedigree, have physical or behavioral characteristics close to breeds such as the Ragamuffin.