Ragamuffin

To understand the Ragamuffin you must start with the Ragdoll. In the 1960s, California breeder **Ann Baker** used a white long-haired queen named Josephine to develop the Ragdoll and set up the **IRCA (International Ragdoll Cat Association)**, imposing near-total trademark control over the Ragdoll name and its bloodlines. Every IRCA breeder had to sign strict contracts and pay royalties.

By the early 1990s a group of IRCA breeders had grown deeply unhappy with Baker's **commercial terms and closed-breeding rules**, especially her ban on registering Ragdolls with mainstream associations like CFA and TICA. In 1994, breeders led by **Curt Gehm** and **Kim Clark** collectively **left IRCA**, renamed their Ragdolls **Ragamuffin**, and registered the new breed independently.

To widen the gene pool and further separate it from the Ragdoll genetically, early Ragamuffin breeding permitted outcrosses to **Persians, Himalayans and Domestic Longhairs**. As a result the Ragamuffin allows a **much broader palette of colours and patterns** than the Ragdoll.

**Registry recognition**: - **ACFA** (American Cat Fanciers Association): first to recognise in **1994** - **UFO** (United Feline Organization): 1998 - **CFA** (Cat Fanciers' Association): **Miscellaneous 2003, full championship 2011** - **GCCF** (UK): registered 2009 - **TICA**: still not recognised (TICA treats Ragamuffin as a Ragdoll variant) - **FIFe**: not recognised

The Ragamuffin is thus a **quintessential American breed** — well established in the CFA / ACFA world in the US, but with limited recognition in Europe and TICA circles.

The Ragamuffin's build closely matches the Ragdoll's, but the **colour and pattern range is much wider**:

- **Body**: large and substantial, adults 5-9 kg (females 5-7 kg, males up to 9 kg) — one of the bigger domestic breeds - **Head**: **modified wedge, gently rounded**; full forehead; well-padded cheeks; adult males often develop pronounced jowls - **Ears**: medium-small, slightly forward-tilted, gently rounded tips - **Eyes**: large and **walnut-shaped** (Ragdoll: almond/oval); **any eye colour is allowed** — green, gold, blue, odd-eyed - **Torso**: long and solid, broad chest, heavy legs, well-muscled - **Tail**: medium-long to long, plumed like a feather - **Coat**: **semi-long to long**, dense yet soft (rabbit-like), dual-layer with a thinner undercoat than a Persian; obvious ruff at the neck; breeches on the back legs

**Key differences vs Ragdoll**: - Ragdoll: only **6 base colours × 3 pattern types (Colorpoint / Mitted / Bicolor) × blue eyes** - Ragamuffin: **all colours, all patterns, all eye colours**: - Solids: white, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac - Bicolor, tortoiseshell, smoke, tabby, mink, sepia - Any eye colour, including green, gold and odd-eyed

This makes the Ragamuffin **visually far more varied** than the Ragdoll — a 'big-scale, unstandardised Ragdoll' in look.

The Ragamuffin's personality is essentially a **Ragdoll turned up a notch**: gentle, clingy, non-aggressive, and when picked up the body **goes completely limp** ('go-limp'), draping in your arms like a warm blanket.

**Core traits**: - **Extremely clingy**: follows you from room to room, jumps on your lap the moment you sit, sleeps on your pillow at night - **Soft-voiced**: prefers gentle chirps to loud meows - **Friendly with strangers**: doesn't hide from guests - **Exceptionally patient with children**: tolerates being held, stroked and carried — one of the **best family cats** - **Great with other pets**: coexists happily with Ragdolls, Persians, Birmans, Golden Retrievers, Labradors - **Low exercise needs**: enjoys passive play, does not zoom around - **Intelligence moderate-to-high**: can learn to fetch, shake paws, hit poses on cue

**Personality differences vs Ragdoll**: - **Ragamuffin is clingier**: a Ragdoll follows *nearby*, a Ragamuffin lies *on top of you* - **Ragamuffin vocalises more**: but always softly - **Ragamuffin is more forward with strangers**: Ragdolls observe for a few seconds first - **Both trust humans unconditionally**: never let them roam free — they cannot defend themselves

**Alone-time tolerance**: below average. Ragamuffins are **highly social** and become anxious if left alone for long stretches — families who cannot provide 8+ hours of company should keep two.

The Ragamuffin is a large long-haired cat, but its rabbit-fur coat is **less prone to matting than a Persian's**, so day-to-day care is comparatively easy:

**1. Coat care**: - **Comb 2-3 times a week**, daily during spring/autumn moult - Use a **wide-tooth comb + slicker brush** combo: comb to detangle, brush to remove loose undercoat - Priority spots: ruff, armpits, inner thighs, breeches, base of tail - Bath every 2-3 months (self-cleaning long coat — unlike a Persian, no frequent bathing needed)

**2. Weight management (most important)**: - The Ragamuffin combines **big frame + hearty appetite** - Adult males easily hit 10 kg+ and become 'meat loafs', driving diabetes, arthritis, hepatic lipidosis - **Portion feed**: 3 meals a day, ~60-90 g dry kibble equivalent for adults (adjust for activity) - **No free-feeding** - Weigh monthly; if creeping up, cut portions by 10% immediately - Prefer high-protein, low-carb formulas

**3. Eye and ear care**: - Mild tear staining possible — wipe under eyes weekly - Long coat traps ear wax; clean ears every 2 weeks

**4. Nail / hair trim**: - Trim front claws every 3-4 weeks - Trim hair around the rear to prevent 'poop stuck to fur'

**5. Exercise**: - 15-20 min interactive play a day is plenty - Fishing-pole toys, slow toys — no need for the Bengal/Somali-level workout - **Cat trees and window perches are essential** to prevent boredom-driven over-grooming

**6. Alone time**: - If you're out 8+ hours a day as a single-cat household, strongly recommend **keeping two** - Or pair with a gentle dog (Golden Retriever, Labrador)

Because Ragamuffins **share an ancestral gene pool** with Ragdolls, their health risks overlap heavily:

**1. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM)**: - The Ragdoll lineage carries the identified **MYBPC3 R820W mutation** (Meurs 2007) - Ragamuffins theoretically share the same risk - Recommend **echocardiogram screening at 1, 3, 5 and 8 years** - Breeding cats must be gene-tested (UC Davis VGL and Langford Vets both offer Ragdoll MYBPC3 tests); do not breed homozygotes - Symptoms: dyspnoea, hind-leg weakness, sudden syncope

**2. Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD1)**: - Comes from the **Persian outcrossing** in early Ragamuffin history - Recommend **PKD1 gene test** (UC Davis VGL offers a Persian PKD1 test) - Do not breed positives; ultrasound the kidneys yearly

**3. Obesity + metabolic disease**: - Big frame + big appetite makes this **one of the most easily obese breeds** - Obesity drives: diabetes, hepatic lipidosis, hip arthritis, feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)

**4. Lower urinary tract stones (FLUTD / struvite)**: - Larger male cats have longer urethras and more stone risk - Prescription urinary formulas + hydration (wet food, water fountains)

**5. Arthritis**: - Big body + long life = elevated hip/elbow arthritis risk in old age - Add **glucosamine + Omega-3** from age 6

**6. Aortic thromboembolism**: - Beyond HCM, the Ragdoll family occasionally reports aortic thromboembolism - Include the aorta in cardiac ultrasounds

**Buyer checklist**: - Ask for **HCM gene test + echocardiogram** on both parents - Ask for **PKD1 gene test** on both parents - If family history includes aortic thromboembolism, think twice - Buy only from **CFA / ACFA / GCCF registered** catteries - Take kittens home at 12-16 weeks or older

**Average lifespan 12-18 years**, with healthy individuals reaching 18-20.

**A Ragamuffin fits well with**: - **Households with children** — extremely tolerant of being picked up, stroked and played with, even carried around - **Older or retired owners** — low exercise needs, gentle temperament, no sudden zoomies - **Multi-pet homes** — great with Ragdolls, Persians, Birmans, Maine Coons, Golden Retrievers, Labradors - **Apartments and urban dwellers** — space is not critical, an indoor home is plenty - **New cat owners who want a 'big cat' experience** — big body + long coat + gentle temperament - **Buyers who want more colour variety than the Ragdoll's three pattern classes**

**Not a good fit for**: - **Single professionals out of the home 10+ hours a day** — separation anxiety is a serious risk - **Owners who want an independent cat** — a Ragamuffin will be on you 24/7 - **Allergy-prone people** — shedding is moderate but dander levels are still significant on a long-haired cat - **Households that want to let cats outdoors** — Ragamuffins are far too trusting and will disappear - **Buyers unwilling to fund HCM / PKD screening**

**Special notes**: - **Strict indoor housing** — poor sense of direction, no defensive instincts, easily stolen - **Do not cross with a Ragdoll and declare it a 'blend'** — the breeds are related but registration rules differ completely - **Ragamuffin and Ragdoll are visually hard to tell apart** — if you care which one you have, look at the **registration certificate**, not the appearance - **Weight management is a lifelong project** — establish portion feeding from kittenhood - **Note: TICA and FIFe still do not recognise the Ragamuffin** — if you want to show in TICA, choose a Ragdoll instead