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RagaMuffin Cat

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Ragamuffin cat

Copyright Helmi Flick

Please respect the copyright of Helmi Flick, who is a professional photographer. Dreamer is a blue mackerel tabby and white cat.

Introduction

This cat’s history is fundamental to the reason for the existence of this breed of purebred cat. I have set out the history in a chart (an overview). This purebred cat is intricately bound up with the Ragdoll cat and was formed from a group of Ragdoll cat breeders as per the chart below. The history is a little confusing and hazy. If this is not right please tell me.

Ragamuffin history charted

Charting the history of the RagaMuffin cat

Update April 2010: I have received an email from Jane in respect of the 1967 date above:

1967 is well before anybody bought Ragdolls (for breeding) so it’s not really possible that anybody split away from Ann Baker’s ‘strict and unworkable policies for the Ragdoll’. The rest is a bit of an unusual view but that first date is the most difficult to understand.

I am investigating this. In the meantime if anyone has good clean information that I can use please email me or post it. The answer is hard to come by. Update Nov. 2010: Gloria Stephens in Legacy of the Cat says that a group of IRCA (International Ragdoll Cat Association, started by Ann Baker) breeders broke away from the group in the late 1980s. The cats they bred were “descended from the original Ragdolls”. They were bred to moggie domestic cats, Ragdolls, Persians and Himalayans (pointed Persians). This brought in the non-pointed colours.

RagaMuffin Cat Facts For Kids

RagaMuffin Cat Facts For Kids. Photos copyright Helmi Flick.

The RagaMuffin cat in the photo above is, LuvNMuffins St Nick of Cortez Cats. He is a natural mink McTabby and white – (see a page on tabby and white cats)(new window). He lives with Jean Colson of Bradenton, FL, who says this about this handsome boy:

“….We own two of them (and are fostering two others) and find them to be wonderful cats — big, furry (nice, pretty-much non-matting fur) and friendly cats. We happen to show our two boys — and I’ll brag that one of them, LuvNMuffins St Nick of Cortez Cats (I know, quite a name) won three awards in ACFA (American Cat Fancier’s Assoc.) in the SouthEast Region (of the U.S.): he was 7th Best Kitten, 18th Best Cat (meaning whole, non-neutered) and 5th Best Alter during the past show year!! Quite an accomplishment — he also won a 10th Best Household Pet in TICA’s SE Region. RagaMuffins are not accepted for championship in TICA thus that is why he was shown as a Household Pet instead. Still he had QUITE a year…”

Ragamuffin Ragtime Cats Tres Diva of Mufnhugs

Ragamuffin Ragtime Cats Tres Diva of Mufnhugs

Please comply with the terms of the license if you use the image and please: no hotlinks.

Detail on the Origin of the RagaMuffin cat

As the RagaMuffin has the same early history as the Ragdoll cat there is a huge connection with that breed and one expects that there is a great similarity in them. The reason, as mentioned in the chart, for the existence of this breed is the intransigence of the founder of the Ragdoll cat (Ann Baker).

She was asked to retire as head of the Ragdoll breeding organization by a group of loyal Ragdoll cat breeders due to her perceived increasingly unreasonable behavior. When she refused the group spit from her organization.

Due to Ann Baker patenting the name “Ragdoll”, they were not allowed to breed Ragdoll cats. They called their cat a RagaMuffin instead. So began this breed of purebred cat. Please read the memories of a person with first hand experience about the Ragdoll myth and origins.

Brief History in a Table

DateEvent
early 1960sAnn Baker, a Californian cat breeder, starts creating the breed
1960s and 70s?Ann Baker seems to have created the myth that this breed is immune to pain and have human genes – alienating other breeders
?Denny Dayton an early breeder of this breed founds the Ragdoll Fanciers Club International (RFCI)
1967Ragdoll first registered in the USA due to the efforts of Denny Drayton
1971Ann Baker creates her own cat association, International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA)
1975Ann Baker patented the name “Ragdoll” – breeders who acquired their Ragdolls before the patent was issued, did not feel bound by it
2005Patent for the the name “Ragdoll” expired
CurrentlyAnn Baker is deceased and despite her perhaps bitter fight to retain “rights” over her creation she left the legacy of this wonderful breed of cat. 500+ breeders worldwide. The breed is fully accepted with the major associations except TICA including CFA, FIFe and GCCF7.

 

Appearance and Character

As the breed commenced its career path as a Ragdoll, the question is, how does this breed differ from the Ragdoll? Like the Ragdoll this cat is a large, muscular and heavy cat. It might be called “substantial” in cat fancy terms. The body is “long with a solid feel”1. The coat is medium long.

Also, as is the case for the Ragdoll, this breed has a docile nature and tends to go limp when picked up. So far they appear to be the same. However, the major difference is in the coat color/pattern range. While Ragdolls are pointed, this breed has no limit on coat color and pattern.

There is also a slight difference in the head shape. Apparently the top of the head between the ears is flat for the Ragdoll and is slightly domed for this breed. The RagaMuffin cat’s head is a broad modified wedge with rounded contours. Also the Ragdoll has a longer nose (hardly earth shatteringly different).

The objective, probably, is to make the difference between these two breeds more distinct. It is probably the RagaMuffin breeders who will have to achieve that over time through selective breeding. Their personality is probably the best part of this cat although they are very handsome too. Important, too, is that there are no outstanding genetically linked health issues (new window) to report, it seems.

I would have liked to compare the breed standards of the Ragdoll and this breed but the wording is different for both making it all but impossible to compare.

Breeders & Breed Standards

RagaMuffin cat – Breed standards (all open in new window/tabs)

Top 3 non-directory RagaMuffin cat catteries as listed by Google on a search, in the order listed by Google.co.uk as at early 2008 – things change:

***Please Scroll Down to See Submissions***

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page…

Magneto the RagaMuffin? 
This is my cat Magneto. I had originally just assumed he was a mixed breed Persian-type cat but when I started to look into it a bit more I came across …

Is My Cat a RagaMuffin?
Hello….I’ve had Gino for 2 years now but I still have no idea what breed he is. I’m sort of guessing that he’s a ragamuffin possibly with a little bit …

Why do people abandon purebred cats? 
About 15 years ago I purchased a cat from an an animal shelter in Toronto. We knew nothing about it’s breed. We later learned he is a relative of the …

RagaMuffin Cats 
I have owned several breeds through my life and also bred Himalayans for awhile, but no other breed compares to the RagaMuffin. This breed are so …

My wonderful Chanel No. 5 
Chanel was a rescue. I started reading up on the Ragdoll cats. Her temperament and Ragdoll “pose” when holding her had me almost convinced that indeed …

Shadie my RagaMuffin 
Hello! We got our kitty at the pound when he was 4-5 months old, so I have no way of really proving he is a RagaMuffin. But I do believe the picture …

The RagaMuffin Cat and the Princess 
I’d like to talk about the RagaMuffin cat and the Princess. They are both the same. You see, if you believe that life goes on after death but in a different …

Is My Cat A RagaMuffin?
Hi…I have a cat and he has very long hair round his face, in his ears and on his tummy extending to the back of his hind legs. I have been trying to …

FUFU 
For a long time I had been curious as to what breed of cat my FUFU was. His beautiful coat mixed with his off the radar intelligence led me on a search …

Honeybears  Not rated yet
Do you have any information as to what became of Ann Baker’s Honeybears? If you think she walked the edge with the Ragdoll story, she surely fell over …

Sophie, is she a RagaMuffin?  Not rated yet
I have this wonderful cat named Sophie. I’ve had her since she was a kitten. Her mother, Snap, is just a barnyard cat. However her dad was a long haired …

Is Our Cat A RagaMuffin?  Not rated yet
We got our cat Rocco from The Humane Society four years ago. Just recently I saw a RagaMuffin cat in a magazine that looked similar to him. I know the …

RagaMuffin – Ragtime Cats Tres Diva of MufnHugs  Not rated yet
Brown patched McTabby & White Female RagaMuffin
Laura

RagaMuffin Cat — Sources:

  • 1. Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens page 135.
  • Moggies (History)
  • Wikipedia
  • Me
RagaMuffin Cats

RagaMuffin Cats. Photos copyright Helmi Flick.

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Comments

RagaMuffin Cat — 19 Comments

  1. I’ve been enjoying reading different information about the Ragamuffin breed. I have a 2.5 – 3 year old cat, Persephone, that we brought in as a stray we found after a rainstorm. I doubt she’s a purebred of anything, but she sure has an awful lot of traits of a Ragamuffin, so I tell her she that what she is. Thanks for the information.

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      • Thanks. I’m so glad we found her after the rain storm. She was so scrawny, matted, muddy. And I’m surprised how quickly she went from being a missheveled stray to being such a beautiful loving (long.fluid-like.fluffy) cat full of personality.

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  2. These cats are beyond beautiful with a personality to match. I wonder about the lack of matting with such long fur, and the large amount of fur balls. I imagine that anyone who treasures this breed must also brush/comb them daily to maintain their beautiful coat. Michael, thanks for enhancing the photo! And also, for attempting to show the history.

    Only last week our handyman told me that he has a Ragamuffin, and I thought he meant a RagDoll, since I hadn’t heard of the Ragamuffin. Now, I must talk with him more, and see if he has a picture. My curiosity is aroused!

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  3. My friend just adopted a RagDoll, and purchased the special food made by Royal Canin. Does anyone know the purpose of this food, and tell me what is actually special about these ingredients? Especially the first 5 most important ones:

    Ingredients:
    Chicken by-product meal, brown rice, corn, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, wheat, wheat gluten, natural flavors, pea fiber, brewers rice, chicory, fish oil, vegetable oil, calcium sulfate, sodium silico aluminate, potassium chloride, DL-methionine, psyllium seed husk, fructooligosaccharides, taurine, L-lysine, salt, calcium carbonate, hydrolyzed yeast, choline chloride, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], glucosamine hydrochloride, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, copper proteinate), L-carnitine, chondroitin sulfate, rosemary extract, preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid.

    Guaranteed Analysis:
    Crude protein (min) 30.0%, crude fat (min) 16.0%, crude fiber (max) 5.8%, moisture (max) 8.0%, taurine (min) 0.23%, omega 6 fatty acids (min) 3.4%, omega 3 fatty acids (min)…0.75%, EPA (min) 0.24%, DHA (min) 0.1%, glucosamine (min) 350.0 mg/kg, chondroitin (min) 25.0 mg/kg.

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  5. I have purchased a kitten where father is a purebred blue point Himalayan and mom is a torti ragdoll. would this be considered a ragamuffin? If not, would I have to mate my himmy/ragdoll mix with another purebred ragdoll? Or, mate my mix with another himmy/ragdoll mix to get a ragamuffin? Or, none of the above;-)

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    • Thanks for visiting and asking. The RagaMuffin is a difficult cat breed to understand because the history of the cat is hazy and opaque. However, my reading of the situation is that your cat could or might be considered as a RagaMuffin except for the fact that all pedigree, purebred cats in the United States need to be registered with a recognised cat association before they can be formally deemed to be pedigree, purebred cats. There has to be a family history on a database with a cat Association. If you are seriously considering the matter, as appears to be the case, I think it might be wise if you contact one of the cat associations and go from there. You have an awesome cat.

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  6. Hi
    I have acquired a very beautiful and delightful-tempramented 8 year old female cat in October 2012 called TigerLily. She was probably pre-owned by two or more owners before me. She is an indoor cat with excellent house manners, who after nine months has managed to explore her new big garden but still prefers the house. She used to duck if a bird flew past her. A real scaredy-cat! Her semi-long fur never gets matted but she suffers constant hairballs and has long tufts growing between her pads. Her pads are like pink soft skin unlike all the numerous cats Ive owned in the past, that were rough and like velcro to touch. The other day she jumped down onto some stinging nettles and I could tell she was stung immediately, she spent the next 12 hours licking all her poor pads. She has a beautiful white ruff, and long fluffy breeches and a high fluffy tail. Her underneath is very very soft, like a baby’s soft hair.
    Her last home was a happy home but the owner (my friend), could no longer keep her due to pet-tenancy agreements so I offered to foster her indefinitely. This was out of the blue as I was actually considering to rehome a dog not a kitty. But she came in to my life so Im very happy to have such a lovely new friend by my side night and day.
    After my friends departure that night, having just dropped her off to me, I let TigerLily wonder around her new home for an hour then found her sitting on the very top step of the staircase staring down at me. I couldn’t resist any longer and went up to her for a chat and I felt immediately that I should pick her up. Well I didnt expect her reaction in the least, she just wriggled carefully around and flopped in my arms purring at me looking up at me with her massive yellow eyes, smiling at me. So I carried her downstairs and she snuggled instantly on me all night in the chair. Since then we have been inseparable, everywhere I go she follows. Curious and always playing with me, though shes not vocal at all unless locked out of the bedroom or hungry. Incidently some mornings she takes a run-up and bashes into the door again and again until I wake up to let her in, meowing very loudly. But hardly ever other than this.
    She cant eat unless I stand over her or ‘go do her business’ in the litter tray unless Im standing there (yuk). I think she has anxiety issues about being left alone, as when I go to work or leave the house she wont eat a thing or go to the toilet, she waits until the moment I come back in to do both in an excited way.
    When ever I pick her up she just loves it and would happily let me carry her in my arms for hours. No struggles just purrs, always. Floppy and trusting, amazing. I never experienced this with a cat before.
    In the mornings she will climb up to my face in bed and gently tap me between my eyes to wake me to tell me shes hungry. The first few times freaked me out as I was sleeping and saw a huge paw between my eyes but she was very gentle just being demanding.
    She throws herself down hard on the floor and rolls around on her back if ever I come across her anywhere in the house or outside, she also sleeps on her back with legs outstretched. When she goes up or down the stairs its like a herd of elephants, shes a really robust and heavy cat despite not eating much and being a very fussy eater.
    I love her with all my heart and know she loves me to and we were meant to be together. Im so happy.
    Ive had siamese and burmese and tabbies and black cats, moggies too but this kitty is in a league of her own, her personality is immense and although Siamese too are characters this little fury friend has all the characteristics of the other breeds rolled into one, I never thought that was possible. Its like having a cat who is crossed with a playful doggie. I love her very much.
    Maybe she is an unplanned RagaMuffin and was just lucky to have the right ancestry to make her so lovely to be around and has identical traits to the real mccoy. She has all the physical descriptions and floppy disposition of a RagaMuffin even though her last VET certifies her as a semi-long haired British Domestic cat. She initially came from the Cats Protection League cattery and we have no knowledge of her previous lives before my friend had her.
    Sadly she has been spayed and seems she may have had kittens before as she has a lot of loose skin on her belly. I wouldve loved to have had more cats from her with her personality.

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Suzy, fantastic comment and TigerLily is a superb cat. I have improved (I think) the image quality a bit (see below).

      I think I will have to make you comment into an article. I’ll work on that. I guess you know that she is a calico cat (tortoiseshell-and-while). All in all a superb looking with a great personality. One of the keys to having a cat with a great personality is that the human caretaker creates a good environment.

      I love her with all my heart and know she loves me to and we were meant to be together. Im so happy

      That is the key. No wonder she is happy too.

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      • Oh thank you! She is a very privileged kitty as all cats are special really, and do have their own little personalities.
        Thanks for enhancing the photo. I was lucky to get such a great shot when she first arrived. Actually she loves posing and I have taken tons of them so I made a fantastic flickr page for her recently. I was so surprised at how amazing my humble photos look on their website too. I think she’s just extra photogenic hehe

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    • She sounds almost exactly like my Persephone. It was only around 3 years old. Although never timid or scared, she was a stray in the neighborhood so I guess she got used to stuff like that. But she follows me everywhere and she doesn’t go up/down the stairs unless I go first. She has that beautiful thick ruff around her neck. I have no idea their ancestry being astray. But she sure fits almost every single trait so I tell her that’s what she is.

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  7. The color stated for LuvNMuffin St. Nick of Cortez Cats is incorrect. The actual registered color for this cat is Natural Mink McTabby and White. I am the breeder of this cat.
    Sharon DeCeuninck
    LuvNMuffin RagaMuffins

    Reply ↓

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