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Ragamuffin Cats
When first I heard of Ragamuffin Cats, my immediate thought was the Webster Dictionary defination of Ragamuffin, "a poor, dirty, raggety creature".
To my delight, upon researching this breed of cat, I found a beautiful, loving creature, not a raggety dirty being.
One of the newest and expensive breeds of domestic cat, the Ragamuffin was created in 1994. A group decided to leave the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA) and form its own group because of increasingly strict breeding restrictions.
Owing to Ann Baker's trademark on the name "Ragdoll", the group renamed its stock of Ragdoll cats Ragamuffins. Ann Baker had started her own registry, the IRCA, in the 1960's.
When this breed, the Ragamuffin, is referred to as expensive, cost of kittins may range from $900 to $1200 per kitten.
Difference From a Ragdoll Cat What is different from the Ragdoll cat is, the Ragamuffin's nose is shorter and scooped. The Ragdoll's nose has a gentle curve with the final segment straight. Rather than having a flat plane between the ears, the Ragamuffin's skull is gently rounded. Ragamuffins have a bit more chubby-looking face with slightly tipped forward ears.
Ragamuffin breeders emphasize a sweet expression and walnut shaped eyes as opposed to the oval eyes seen in the Ragdolls. Ragamuffins are allowed to outcross with certain other breeds every fifth generation. This is important for maintaining the excellent health of the breed.
General description
Ragamuffin cats are a fairly large cat. They are a muscular breed of cat that take longer to mature than most other cats, approximately 4 years to reach adulthood. Ragamuffins typically have long life spans in comparison to other domestic cats. They are a healthy robust feline with no recognized illnesses..
Physical traits of this lovable breed include a rectangular, broad-chested body and shoulders supporting a short neck. The head of the cat tends to be a broad, modified wedge with the forehead rounded and a nose dip. There should be a fatty type pad in the lower abdomen.
Fur length is to be slightly longer around the neck and outer edges of the face, giving the appearance of a ruff. The fur increases in length from the top of the head down through the shoulder blades and back. The coat on the cats sides and stomach are medium to medium long.
Though the length of the coat would normally require a considerable amount of grooming, the Ragamuffin cats fur is not prone to tangles, matting or clumping. Thus grooming requirements for a Ragamuffin are minimal. It has a soft rabbit-like coat that is silky soft to the touch.
The fur tends to grow straight out from the body, allowing you to rub against the grain, which these cats love you to do.
Color The Ragamuffin cat have several of the color formations that are present on Ragdoll cats, but also has a variety of different colors. Some colors include all variations of pointed color, including Tortie Point, Red Point and Lynx Point. Ragamuffins may be solid, tabby, tortie, splotched or spotted.
Which Ragamuffin colours are rare? Some colors patterns, such as pure white, are much more rare than others and are generally in greater demand. Sepia kittens are especially rare. The kitten must receive 2 recessive genes, one from each parent. To get Sepia a Mink Female & Mink Male need to be bred together.
Their eyes can be any solid color and include odd-eyed (each eye has a different color). Points have blue eyes. Colorpoints are not allowed are not allowed in Cat Fanciers Association shows under CFA standards.
Appearance The Ragamuffin is a long-haired domestic cat similar in appearance to the Ragdoll, the parent breed of their line. Being Ragamuffins are fairly large cats, females weigh between 10 to 15 lbs with males weighing in between 15 to 20 lbs.
Personality
The Ragamuffin is described as a docile and affectionate cat. They love people and are very cuddly and affectionate, with a tendency to go limp when held. These lovable creatures love playing and climbing scratching posts. Some will fetch toys ( Ragamuffin cat fetch).
They greet family members at the door and will follow them around the house. Because of their gentle nature, Ragamuffins are generally kept indoors for their own protection. Due to its docile and friendly nature they are not very good at defending themselves when necessary.
Ragamuffins are bred to be sociable, intelligent, affectionate, cuddly companions that are playful throughout their lives. They tend to be very vocal at times. This is overlooked because of how very lovable they are.
Ragamuffin Cat Calendars
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