If you want to know all about the Ragamuffin cat you’ve come to the right place. In this post you’ll discover breed history, characteristics, and personality of this beautiful breed of cat.

Whether you’re considering adopting one of these giant furballs, or just curious about the breed you’ll find everything you need to know here.

About the Ragamuffin cat history

You may have already guessed that Ragamuffins are closely related to the giant Ragdoll breed and you’d be right. In fact all Ragamuffins are descendants of Josephine, the very first Ragdoll cat.

However, unlike Ragdolls, Ragamuffin cats don’t go limp when picked up. The breed came about after disagreements between Ragdoll enthusiasts. The founder of the Ragdoll breed, Ann Baker was quite strict about breed classifications and appearance.

A group of breeders keen to develop new coat patterns and colors and widen the gene pool got together. As a result, Ragdolls were crossed with a variety of long hair breeds including Persian, Himalayans, domestic longhair and Turkish Angora.

You may be surprised to learn that full recognition of the breed only came about as recent as 2011. This is when the Cat Fanciers Association finally recognised Ragamuffins as a breed in their own right.

If you’re wondering how the name Ragamuffin came about, it was simply to pay tribute to the founding breed. However, I don’t know where “Muffin” came from. In years gone by a ragamuffin was a street child dressed in ragged clothes.

About the Ragamuffin cat appearance

As previously mentioned, Ragamuffins are giant furballs and mobile hair shedders! If you’re thinking about adopting one of these cats you’ll need to allow time for regular grooming.

Coat length varies from medium to long and thankfully, doesn’t tangle easily! Unlike Ragdolls, Ragamuffins don’t have points. You can expect coat patterns to vary from solid color to tabby, tortoiseshell, bi-color, and more.

Colors can be anything from white, chocolate, cream, lilac, orange, red, mink, and black. If you look at the paws you’d notice they’re mostly white which is similar to a ragdoll.

Another similarity to the ragdoll is all kittens are born white with coat color and pattern gradually developing as they mature. This means it can be hard to predict your Ragamuffin’s eventual color.

You’d notice the head is broad and slightly wedge shaped with a rounded appearance. Unlike the almond shaped eyes of Ragdolls, Ragamuffins have round eyes. Colors can be amber, green, blue, hazel, amber, or gold.

It can take up to 4 years for a Ragamuffin cat to reach full maturity, and they can live into late teens or older if well cared for.

Females can weigh between 10-15 pounds, and males can weigh over 20 pounds. This makes them quite heavy to pick up and cuddle. However, they do love being held!

The Ragamuffin personality

If you’re thinking of getting one of these giant felines you’re in for a treat as Ragamuffins have a loving personality. You can expect a cat that’s sociable, intelligent and very friendly.

One good thing about the Ragamuffin cat is it gets on well with other pets and children. This means if you have young kids or dogs you should be ok.

Training your Ragamuffin should be quite easy as they’re very intelligent, but as with all cats, they only respond if they care to! There are other breeds of cat that are also easy to train, but the Ragamuffin will become your constant companion

Are Ragamuffin cats a healthy breed?

Before choosing a breed of cat it’s important to know if they’re any health problems to expect later in the cat’s life.

You’ll be pleased to hear the Ragamuffin is generally a very healthy breed. However, there are a few things to be aware of. One of them is a heart condition known as cardiomyopathy.

It results from thickening heart muscle and is caused by a genetic mutation. It can be successfully treated though if found early on.

Another health condition you should be aware of is Polycystic kidney disease. This is believed to be passed on from their Persian cat ancestors and can also be treated successfully.

Of course, all cats whether pedigree or non-pedigree can suffer from varying health problems. However, as long as you keep up with annual health checks and monitor your cat for any problems you should be fine.

Grooming your Ragamuffin cat

Although Ragamuffins have coats that don’t tangle easily you’ll still need to groom your cat regularly. This should be a weekly regime involving the use of a steel comb to remove dirt and debris.

You can also brush your cat to keep her coat beautiful and glossy. The best idea is to get your Ragamuffin used to being brushed at a young age, though they are noted for loving grooming sessions!

Investing in quality grooming tools pays off as they’ll last you a long time. Plus, your cat will benefit

Dental hygiene in cats is just as important as it is in humans. Failure to care for your cat’s teeth can result in dental disease and inflamed gums.

Part of your cat’s daily care routine should involve brushing her teeth. This isn’t as hard as it sounds and you can get cat toothbrushes and toothpaste.

In addition, regular nail trimming can keep your cats claws in good condition. Always get advice from your vet first. You could even pay a pet groomer to trim your cat’s nails.

Are Ragamuffins the right breed of cat for you?

Now you know a little bit about the Ragamuffin cat is this the right breed to suit your lifestyle? You should always take into consideration breed personality and amount of care needed.

On the whole, Ragamuffin cats are easy to look after. However, they are very sociable and if you’re out at work all day you may want to consider getting two.

This means they’ll have each other for company so less chance of them feeling lonely.Ragamuffins thrive on company so don’t consider this breed if you can’t have two cats and are away a lot.

This could be your ideal breed if you spend a lot of time at home and want a close companion of the furry kind! You certainly won’t feel lonely with a Ragamuffin, in fact expect to be followed everywhere.

As mentioned previously, Ragamuffins are very intelligent and trainable. Most like nothing better than a game of fetch, and fetching small objects such as toys would be an easy task for a Ragamuffin.

If you want to find out more about the Ragamuffin cat before making deciding if this is the breed for you, contact a breeder. A true enthusiast will give you plenty of information, and if you’re lucky enough to find a local one, plan a visit.

Also consider visiting a cat show, or contacting the Cat Fanciers Association. In addition, look for Facebook groups as there are plenty dedicated to a variety of cat breeds.

If you’ve enjoyed this post please share. Feel free to share this pin on your “pets” board

Also, if you have any questions or would like to share your experiences please leave a comment below.

Wishing you a purrfect day

Kathy