Ragamuffin (cat)

Infobox Catbreed
name = Ragamuffin

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imagecaption =
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country = United States
cfastd = http://www.cfa.org/breeds/standards/ragamuffin.html
fifestd =
ticastd =
gccfstd =
aacestd =
acfastd = http://www.acfacats.com/ragamuffin_standard.htm
acfstd =
ccastd =
otherstd =
notrecognized =
extinct =
note = Accepted by CFA under Miscellaneous Class. [ [http://www.cfa.org/shows/miscellaneous.html CFA Miscellaneous Class] Cat Fanciers' Association. May 15, 2005] |

The Ragamuffin is a breed of domestic cat which first made its appearance in 1994. They are notable for their sweet, friendly personalities and plush, rabbit-like fur.

General description

The Ragamuffin is a long-haired domestic cat. Ragamuffins are fairly large cats - females weigh between 10 to 15 lbs (4.54 to 6.80 kg), and males weigh between 15 to 20 lbs (6.80 to 9.07 kg).

Ragamuffins are large, muscular, heavy cats that do not reach full maturity until approximately four years of age. The look of the body is rectangular, with a broad chest and shoulders supporting a very short neck. The head is a broad modified wedge with a rounded forehead and a nose dip. Ragamuffins come in all coat colors and patterns, with a medium length coat that increases in length toward the stomach. Although the coat is thick and plush, it does not readily mat or clump and is easy to care for. Ragamuffins are bred to be sociable, intelligent, affectionate, cuddly companions that are playful all through their lives.

The head is a broad modified wedge, with a rounded appearance. The forehead should be moderately rounded. The body should appear rectangular, with a broad chest and broad shoulders, and moderately heavy muscling in the hindquarters with the hindquarters being equally as broad as the shoulders. There should be a fatty pad in the lower abdomen. Fur length is to be slightly longer around neck and outer edges of face, resulting in the appearance of a ruff, and increasing in length from top of head down through shoulder blades and back, with the coat on the sides and stomach being medium to medium-long. Every color and pattern is allowable with or without white. Some colors patterns are rarer than others, such as pure white, which are generally in greater demand.

They are adoptable as early as four months of age, but do not reach full maturity until around four years of age. The Ragamuffin is an expensive breed and costs can range from $900 - $1200 USD per kitten.

History

In the 1960s a regular non-pedigreed white alley cat named Josephine, who had produced several litters of normal alley cats, was injured in an accident involving a car and taken to a laboratory at the University of California. After she recovered, her next litter produced exceptionally friendly kittens. When the subsequent litter produced more of the same, Mrs. Ann Baker (an established cat breeder) purchased several kittens from the owner, who lived behind her, and believing she had something special, set out to create what is now known as the Ragdoll.

Baker, in an unusual move, spurned traditional cat breeding associations. She trademarked the name "Ragdoll", set up her own registry - International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA) - and enforced stringent standards on anyone who wanted to breed or sell cats under that name. [ [http://www.cfa.org/breeds/standards/ragamuffin.html Breed Standard: Ragamuffin] Cat Fanciers Association] The Ragdolls were also not allowed to be registered in other breed associations. In 1975, a group broke rank with IRCA with the aim of gaining mainstream recognition for the Ragdoll. This group eventually developed the Ragdoll standard currently accepted by major cat registries.

In 1994, a second group of around 30 breeders decided to leave the IRCA and form their own group due to increasingly strict breeding restrictions. The foundational breeders of the new group were Patricia F. (first president of RAG), Janet K.(Encore Cats [ [http:www.ragamuffin.net] )(current breed chair and president of the breed until 2008 ), Kim C.(Ultimate Rags [ [http:www.ragamuffin.com] )(current breed vice president) Judy M.(Rivendell Rags) and Curt G.(Leibling Cats). [5] and around 25 other breeders who are no longer active. Their first act was to simply rename their stock of Ragdolls as Ragamuffins, Which was initially more of a joke put forth by Curt G. but when the original registry could not be undone, the name stuck. One of the first concerns of the group was the genetic health of their stock, which was already in its fifth generation of inbreeding. So in the spirit of bettering the breed's genetic health and personality, they out crossed to Persians, Himalayans, and domestic Long haired cats which increased the distinctiveness of the Ragamuffin from their Ragdoll ancestors. They did allow some Ragdoll inbreeding as well (which will end in 2010 for ACFA recognized ragamuffins). The goal of the breeding has always been to keep their distinctively affectionate personality and health rather than any particular look other than their distinctive scooped nose and other minor traits that set them apart.

The first cat association to accept the breed at full show champion status was United Feline Organization (UFO) and while some major cat associations still refuse to accept the Ragamuffin as a recognizable breed, due primarily to their close association with the Ragdoll, they were accepted into the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) and finally Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) as a provisional breed in the miscellaneous class in 2003.

While Ragdolls were first registered and accepted as the breed ancestors to the RagaMuffin, the current allowance of Ragdoll out crosses, and the fact that the first ragamuffins were actually ragdolls renamed, makes the Ragamuffin the larger category of breed with the original Ragdolls as one of its sub-categories. Since several generations have passed, no current [Ragdoll] can be considered a Ragamuffin. Only cats with at least one Ragamuffin parent and an ACFA accepted outcross currently qualifies.

Color forms

Ragamuffins come in all patterns and colors although colorpoints are not allowed under CFA standards. [ [http://www.cfa.org/breeds/standards/ragamuffin.html Breed Standard: Ragamuffin] Cat Fanciers Association] Their eyes can be any solid color, including odd-eyed (ie, each eye has a different color).

Personality

The only extreme allowed in this breed is the very docile nature. The Ragamuffin loves people and is very cuddly and affectionate, with a tendency to go limp when held. While not terribly athletic, they love playing and climbing scratching posts and some will even fetch toys. They greet family members at the door and will follow their people around the house. Because of their gentle nature, Ragamuffins are generally kept indoors for their own protection.

References

External links

* [http://ragamuffingroup.com/ RagaMuffin Associated Group] The original breed club begun by those who founded the ragamuffin breed
* [http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/ragamuffin.html Breed profile] at Cat Fanciers Association
* [http://us.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=ragamuff.html Breed profile] at IAMS cat breed guide