If you’ve ever petted a rabbit then you will notice a distinct similarity when you stroke the fur of a Ragamuffin cat. Medium to long luxurious fur that is thick and plush, and comes in a variety of colors makes the Ragamuffin a favorite breed among cat lovers. Large expressive eyes will draw you to this lovely breed that thrives on human companionship.
Adult males will average about 7 kg (15 pounds), but can reach up to 9 kg (20 pounds). Life expectancy is also somewhat high for cats, with many known to have lived beyond 18 years.
Personality
Ragamuffins are extremely affectionate and thrive on the company of pets and people. Humans coming home from work will often find their Ragamuffin curled up at the door in anticipation of their arrival, sometimes waiting for hours. Occasionally vocal the Ragamuffin is rarely known to be aggressive. Pets and children will always be able to get along with your Ragamuffin due to their playful and tolerant nature.
Most Ragamuffins will do their best to remain as close to their human companions as possible. You can also expect them to hang on to their playful kitten nature for much longer than usual as they take their time in reaching maturity – usually in four to five years.
Did You Know?
The Ragamuffin is a fairly new breed of cat, having first appeared in 1994. However, there are conflicting stories about how exactly this breed came to be. It is generally accepted that breeding began with the Ragdoll cat, started by Ann Baker in the 1960’s.
Ann had strict requirements due to the Ragdoll being a beautiful, calm and affectionate cat. But these requirements inspired a group to break off from her organisation and start breeding the Ragdoll with Persian and Himalayan cats. The Cat Fancier’s Association finally brought official recognition to the breed in 2003.
Caring for Your RagaMuffin
The RagaMuffin is a hardy breed and does not require any specific exercise regimes. Supervision should be maintained at all times when outdoors as their fearless and trusting nature can put them in harm’s way.
They do not require any more exercise than most other cats. That is to say there should be plenty of sleeping in between long bouts of playing, with some running and jumping mixed in.
Despite their dense soft fur the Ragamuffin does not require excessive amounts of grooming as it does not clump or mat easily – once a week should be plenty. To minimize shedding it may helpful to increase this frequency to a daily groom.
If you have a Ragamuffin cat in your life, please share your experiences below.
Image: Takashi Hososhima via Flickr.
I have a ragamuffin kitty named teddy. He came into my life when he was almost 1 he will be 4 this month in may. He belonged to a lady I was living with and just latched on to me, he eventually accepted my boyfriend as well. He has all the characteristics of a ragamuffin cat, except for the fact that he only likes me and my boyfriend, and will run and hide from anyone else who comes over. It takes him a while to build trust with others, but as far as me and my boyfriend he is like our best friend. He greets us at the door, plays fetch, loves to follow us around the house, and is super curious of everything we do. I know they typically are people cats, but for some reason our teddy really only prefers us. I don’t know if this is typical, or may be a result of his surroundings as a kitten before I came into his life..
I love the size of these cats (and that they are so docile). 🙂 I’ve got a BIG, BIG tabby male, but he’s short-coated (and definitely not a purebred). He loves to be carried around the house, which always makes me think of this breed. I think he probably has some Maine Coon in him way down the line.
What a beautiful breed of cat! Mom Paula wishes our floof didn’t mat so easily, but she does love our coat.
I had no idea there could be a new breed of cat as early as 1994 or even as far back as the 1960s. I don’t have a cat right now, but I have a friend who has 9 cats and they are all so different and delightful. I will have to discuss the RagaMuffin cat breed with her
Oh, we lub Ragamuffins!! Our neighbor has two and one of em plays with me!! Very social and sweet – our neighbors kitties are called Swiffer and Plump!
Ragamuffins sure are cute. I know that I’ll never buy a cat, but I’d sure be tempted to adopt a Ragamuffin cat if I ever saw one looking for a home.
Ragamuffins are so cute! I just love that long, soft fur. I have seen them but haven’t really had the opportunity to interact with them and see their personalities. If they are like their Ragdoll cousins, then they have the purrrfect combination of beauty and charm.
I love this breed, they are so gorgeous! I can’t believe the males can get up to 20lbs, wow!
Interesting! I’ve never heard the term, but my cat growing up looked exactly like the one you pictured, and behaved similarly, as well. And, boy, did her fur mat easily! Thanks for the good read!
We don’t see Ragamuffins in the shows we go to – there probably aren’t any registered breeders locally. 🙁