Imperial Rags RagaMuffin Kittens

About RagaMuffins

RagaMuffin cats are gentle giants and have an overall sweet disposition, also known as the "Teddy Bear" of the cat world.  RagaMuffins like to be where you are and often follow you around the house.  It is very common to be greeted at the door when coming home and kept warm on the couch.  These big "floppy" cats love to play and will often "fetch" toys you throw for them.  Soon you too will discover that one RagaMuffin is just never enough!

About the Breed

The RagaMuffin breed goes back to the 1960's with Ann Baker, the creator and founder of the Ragdoll breed.  Ann started the breed from a neighborhood cat named Josephine.  Josephine was a white Angora type cat that had reportedly been hit by a car and when she came back from the vet exuded a limp rag doll like demeanor.  Her 2 kittens, Daddy Warbucks and Fugianna, became the founding cats of the Ragdoll breed.  The kittens were exceptional in disposition and exuded what the breed is known for now in temperament.  She continued to breed these cats for their sweet temperament and made her goal to create the perfect house cat.  She continued to develop the breed using her black Persians and apple head Balinese cats.  One of her black Persians and another cat registered simply as black cat had a black female kitten named Buckwheat, that also became one of the founding cats.  She then categorized her "types" of cats as light side and dark side.  Kittens from Fugianna were the foundations of her light side having longer faces and more pointed ears.  And those from Buckwheat were the foundation to her dark side having a more broad shorter face.  Later more terms to decribe her "types" arose such as Miracle Ragdolls, Honeybears, Cherubims, and Baby Dolls to name a few.  In 1971 she started the IRCA (International Ragdoll Cat Association) in an attempt to franchise the Ragdoll breed and keep control of its breeders.  It was a private registry for her cats and kept track of the cats pedigrees, but were not at the time recognized by any cat associations.  A group of breeders not wanting to be controlled by Ann broke off from her in 1975 forming the Ragdoll Society.  Their focus was on getting Ragdolls recognized as a breed by cat associations in the current 3 pointed color patterns (pointed, mitted, and bi-color).  Ann fought back by saying cats not registered by IRCA were fake and not legitimate Ragdolls. 

In 1993 another group of breeders decided to leave the IRCA and seek recognition separately with established registries.  Since the cats included all colors and patterns and the name Ragdoll was trademarked, the name RagaMuffin was choose.  The name stuck and in 1994 they became a recognized breed when they were accepted by ACFA.   They subsequently formed the RagaMuffin Associated Group as a breed club and began showing their cats.  And in 2001 the breed gained Championship recognition.  RagaMuffin foundation cats were IRCA Ragdolls and Miracle Ragdolls.  We were allowed to outcross initially with Ragdolls, Domestic Long Hairs, and Persians to help widen our gene pool.  Later the Siberian was accepted as an allowable outcross when the Ragdoll and Persian were expired for use.  In 2011 we gained Championship status in CFA.

RagaMuffins are classically large cats, with a slightly larger skeleton.  Females range from 10-15 lbs and males 15-20 lbs.  They are fully mature around 4 yrs of age and have a long life expectancy.   Their coats are very soft and easy to take care of.  They are average shedders.  As a rule RagaMufins are a strong and healthy breed.

A question we are often asked is what is the difference between a Ragdoll and a RagaMuffin?  Here are some differences below:

• RagaMuffins have fewer breeders, making them a more rare breed.
• Due to our smaller amount of breeders, we have focused as a group more on health, and have strived to rid the breed of the Ragdoll HCM gene.
  
• RagaMuffins have a shorter muzzle and more scooped nose.
• Their head is more round rather than the flatter wedge shape of the Ragdoll.
• Eyes are walnut shaped rather than almond.
• RagaMuffins have puffy whisker pads which give them a sweet expression.
  
• And of course color!  RagaMuffins can come in a variety of colors and patterns and Ragdolls are only recognized in pointed and bi-color patterns.
• Eye color- Ragdolls have blue eyes and RagaMuffins can have a variety of colors.