Size: Medium to large.
Coat Length(s): Long hair.
Body Type: Moderate.
Grooming Requirement: Once a week.
Talkativeness: Quiet.
Activity Level: Fairly low.
Affection: Very affectionate.
Usually Good With: Everyone.
Time Alone: 4 to 8 hours per day.
Attention: Needs average attention.
Handling: Easy to handle.

The history of the RagaMuffin is intertwined with the history of the Ragdoll. However, they are not the same breed. The Ragdoll was developed in the early 1960s by the late Ann Baker of Riverside, California. All true Ragdolls can be traced back to the bloodlines she began. Despite the tall tales surrounding the Ragdoll’s creation, the breed was probably the result of crosses between unpedigreed longhaired cats who possessed the recessive gene for the pointed pattern, although some believe the breed was created by crossbreeding Persians, Birmans and Angoras with random-bred domestics. No proof of this exists. The foundation cat from which the breed originated, Josephine, was a semi-feral longhaired white female of unknown parentage with a Turkish Angora appearance.

In 1971, Baker founded her own registry called the International Ragdoll Cat Association (IRCA), and, in an attempt to protect her proprietary interests and keep control of the breed, she trademarked the Ragdoll name. The trademark was valid until 2005, and allowed only IRCA breeders to use the Ragdoll name.

She sold breeder franchises, which meant IRCA breeders had to pay licensing fees, breed according to Baker’s carefully controlled guidelines and get her approval for all Ragdoll matings. In addition, breeders paid IRCA a 10 percent royalty for each kitten they sold. IRCA Ragdolls could only be registered with IRCA, and were not allowed to be shown or registered with the mainstream cat associations. The mainstream cat associations, in turn, didn’t recognize IRCA Ragdolls.

Some breeders were very displeased with these arrangements, and also wanted to distance themselves from the questionable claims being made about their breed. In 1975 these breeders split from IRCA and formed the Ragdoll Fanciers’ Club International (RFCI).

Other breeders hung on, agreeing with Baker or daunted by the lawsuits Baker filed against breeders who took their cats and scrammed, and because of their deep love for their breed. By 1993, however, some had had enough. They broke away, choosing to seek mainstream association acceptance for their cats. They renamed their cats RagaMuffins to avoid breaking their contracts with Baker and violating Baker’s Ragdoll trademark. Some of these breeders formed the RagaMuffin Associated Group (RAG), to preserve the breed and promote it with the mainstream associations. Others formed the non-profit RagaMuffin Cat Lovers Society, Inc. Breeders had to start from scratch, so to speak, since the associations wouldn’t grant them the same acceptance they’d already granted the Ragdoll. But they persisted, and today all associations except CCA recognize the RagaMuffin, although the two largest associations, CFA and TICA, have yet to grant championship or even new breed (provisional) status.

The RagaMuffin is similar, but not identical, in conformation and temperament to the Ragdoll because of the many years of separation between the two breeds. The RagaMuffin comes in a wider variety of colors and the body type is slightly different. RagaMuffin breeders say the RagaMuffin is not a new breed but an old one with a new name. Although Ragdolls and RagaMuffins are both descendants from the original bloodlines that Baker developed, RagaMuffin breeders split away from IRCA much more recently than the RFCI breeders. Some believe that if the breed’s history is put into proper perspective, the RagaMuffin is the parent breed and the Ragdoll is simply a division of the original. According to the RAG web site, the Ragdoll breeders who "abandoned the originator of the breed" took only a few colors and patterns, and the breed is just a small part of what the Ragdoll was intended to be.

On the other paw, there is a certain amount of resentment from the early abandoners toward the more recent abandoners of the breed’s originator. Since Ragdoll breeders endured Baker’s lawsuits and wrath, and worked long and hard to bring the Ragdoll into the spotlight, some Ragdoll breeders feel the RagaMuffin fanciers are using the Ragdoll’s hard-won success to advance their breed. Still, the RagaMuffin has a solid base of fans who believe the breed is the cat’s meow.

RagaMuffins are people-loving and affectionate—large, cuddly, feline teddy bears, according to the CFA standard. They love nothing more than to be cuddled and pampered by their favorite humans and are known for their mellow, extremely sweet dispositions. They develop strong bonds with their owners, crave attention and will do almost anything for a head pet or a tummy-rub. They desire to please their people and are calm, easygoing and patient. Like the Ragdoll, RagaMuffins tend to go limp in your arms because they love being cuddled. They are happy to snuggle in your lap as you read or watch television. RagaMuffins generally are delighted to greet anyone at the door—they know no strangers and are almost always very friendly. With their mellow and accepting temperaments, RagaMuffins should be indoor-only cats.

RagaMuffins are intelligent and easily trained to walk on a leash, play fetch and sit up to beg. They are good with other cats and cat-friendly dogs. Excellent with children because of their docile, patient natures and natural hesitation to use their claws in play, you might find your RagaMuffin happily lying in a baby stroller pushed by your six-year old. However, an older kitten or adult is recommended when you have young children in the home.

They are not especially athletic, but bring out the toys and they’re ready for a romp. They are a quiet breed; they listen when you talk to them and offer love and cuddles in response. RagaMuffins want to be involved in everything, make wonderful companions and are said to be addictive; one is never enough.

RagaMuffins have soft, dense and silky fur. They require a thorough weekly grooming with a quality steel comb to remove loose hairs and prevent matting. Be sure to ask your breeder if your RagaMuffin has Persian in her bloodline because that could make it necessary to groom more often; Persians have substantial long downy undercoats that are known to mat easily.

RagaMuffins are generally hardy, healthy cats with no studied and documented breed-specific problems. Breeders pride themselves on breeding for health and personality, as well as color and conformation. However, since Persians and Ragdolls were allowable outcrosses for this breed until July 2006, it’s likely that some RagaMuffin bloodlines have inherited Persian and Ragdoll health problems. These include polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a disease that can cause renal failure and is known to exist in many Persian lines. According to the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in California, more than 37 percent of Persians have PKD. Genetic testing is available and is vital for any breed using the Persian as an outcross.

The inherited heart disease feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) also exists in some Persian and Ragdoll lines. The disease can develop at any age, but is more common in older cats who may have already had the opportunity to pass the disease along to their offspring. The first symptom of HCM is often sudden death. HCM is the most common feline heart disease, and is known in other breeds and in random-bred cats as well. However, in pedigreed cats negative traits can become more concentrated. Since both the Persian and the Ragdoll were allowable outcrosses, the breed could have inherited the disease from either or both.

In addition, some Persian lines are prone to plaque, tartar buildup, and gingivitis, which they could have passed onto some RagaMuffin lines. Gingivitis can lead to dental disease that can cause tissue, tooth, and bone loss. Untreated, periodontal disease can undermine a cat’s overall health. If your RagaMuffin is prone to dental disease, it’s important to get dental exams with her annual veterinary checkups, periodic teeth cleaning from your veterinarian and, if your RagaMuffin will allow it, regular tooth brushing using cat toothpaste and a cat toothbrush or a soft child’s size toothbrush. Be sure to talk to your breeder about these and any other health concerns, and look at your prospective cat’s pedigree for Persians or Ragdolls in past generations. Buy from a breeder who provides a written health guarantee.

The body is rectangular with a broad chest and shoulders, and moderately heavy muscling in the hindquarters. The hindquarters are as broad as the shoulders. RagaMuffins tend to have a fatty pad on the lower abdomen. RagaMuffins upon palpation should feel well covered with flesh. The cat should have an overall balance in body size, shape and distribution of weight, with quality and conformation given preference over size. The legs are heavily boned and medium length, with the back legs slightly longer than the front but in proportion to the body. The paws are large and round, able to support the cat’s weight without splaying, and with fur tufts beneath and between the paws.

The head is a broad, modified wedge with a rounded appearance. The forehead is moderately rounded. The muzzle is round, slightly shorter than moderate in length, and tending to broadness. The chin is firmly rounded, reflecting a proper bite, and the cheeks are full. A puffiness to the whisker pads results in the characteristic "sweet look" of the breed. In profile, an obvious nose dip can be seen, giving the impression of a scoop rather than a break. The neck is short, heavy and strong, particularly in older males. The tail is long and medium at the base with a slight taper, and plumed like a soft bottle brush.

The ears are medium with slight flaring, tilted slightly forward, set as much on the side of the head as on top, rounded and with moderate furnishings in pleasing proportion to the head. The large eyes are moderately wide set, walnut shaped and expressive. Eye color depends on coat color. The more intense the eye color, the better, but lighter eye color in dilutes is allowed.

RagaMuffins come wrapped in a wealth of colors, including solids, torties, and bicolors, as well as the blue-eyed pointed varieties.

In most associations that accept the breed, every color and pattern is allowable with or without white. In CFA, however, all colors and patterns are allowable with or without white, except pointed colors. Any amount of white is allowed, including blazes and lockets, white spots on paws, back, chest and belly. The degree of symmetry, whether in the pattern or the white spotting, is of no importance. Nose leather and paw pads are accepted in all colors and in any color combination, and are not necessarily related to coat color. Cats with white on their feet may have pink paw pads or they may be bicolor or multi-colored. Body darkening in older cats, and lighter or incomplete markings in kittens and young cats is allowed.

RagaMuffins have no allowable outcrosses. Before July 15, 2006, Ragdolls and Persians were allowable in CFA. Now kittens can have only RagaMuffin parents. In ACFA, IRCA Ragdoll and Miracle Ragdoll are the only cats allowed to be foundation registered for the RagaMuffin.