Ragamuffin
“The teddy bear from the Ragdoll's own founding story”
By Priya · The careful onePublished August 21, 2026Updated August 26, 20268 min read
Contents
Ragamuffin photos
Real photos, so you can see what the breed actually looks like: coats, ear tufts, ruff and build.
Black and white bicolor Ragamuffin cat looking up, fluffy long coat backlit
Photo: Takashi Hososhima · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Got a Ragamuffin? Share them with the community. Photos from our members round out this page.
Vital stats
Origin
United States
California, early 1990s. A group of breeders broke away from Ann Baker's IRCA registry (the Ragdoll's founding program, whose cats she trademarked 'Ragdoll' and '' in 1971), taking their cats and adding fresh domestic longhair blood. The name arrived in 1994, by 's account. 'Liebling' was proposed and fell flat, and breeder Curt Gehm's 'RagaMuffin' stuck. The breakaway year itself is remembered three ways ( 'early 1990s', GCCF 1994, and the UK club 1993), which we print attributed rather than picking.
Life expectancy
's own page states 12 to 16 years, and its box and narrative agree, a cleaner figure than most. It cites no study. No US, Canadian or Australian measured lifespan or mortality study names this breed (six candidate papers checked directly). A commonly cited registry estimate; no measured study exists.
Coats
Tuxedo (the $1,000 door)
Blue bicolor
Brown tabby
Pure white (the $4,000 tier)
Every color and pattern EXCEPT pointed, one of the widest color ranges on this site: solids, tabbies, torties, bicolors, minks and sepias, with any eye color (narrowed only inside the mink and sepia classes). 's own nuance: the pointed gene has not vanished from the gene pool. Its Mink pattern has simply been moved off the show bench. The pointed exclusion is exactly what separates this breed from the Ragdoll on sight.
Understanding the coats (and their genetics)Size
No formal registry STANDARD (CFA, GCCF, CCA-AFC) publishes a numeric weight for this breed anywhere, a checked absence. Two registries' own consumer pages do. CFA's says a mature male 'may reach up to 20 pounds' (9.1 kg), with females 'closer to 15 pounds' (6.8 kg). GCCF's characteristics box says '10 to 20 lbs' (4.5-9.1 kg). Consumer-page figures, attributed as such, and a slow-maturing breed by CFA's own account. No measured weight study exists.
Did you know
The breed name is a 1994 rescue. After 'Liebling' fell flat, breeder Curt Gehm reached for 'RagaMuffin', riffing on the Ragdoll connection. The English word itself is far older, recorded since 1586 for a ragged street child, and has nothing to do with either cats or muffins.
Personality
Affection5/5
Energy2/5
Intelligence3/5
Friendliness4/5
Independence2/5
Vocal2/5
Shedding3/5Compatibility
Good with children5/5
Good with other pets4/5
Apartment friendly5/5Editorial ratings on our five-point scale, anchored in the registry descriptions and the measured behaviour studies cited on this profile; individual cats vary, and our members' own ratings below are the counterweight.
Still torn between this breed and another?Compare the Ragamuffin trait by trait, or filter every breed by what matters to you.
What our members say
What our members say
Nobody has described their Ragamuffin here yet. As soon as the first profiles come in, this is where the community averages will show up: temperament, food, lifestyle.
Describe my Ragamuffin
Pros & cons
Strong points
- A genuinely docile, people-first companion by both registries' independent accounts
- Every color and pattern except pointed, with any eye color: the fancy's wide end
- The UK registry's strictest health gate works for buyers: GCCF Active Register requires DNA-clear R820W and PKD1
- Two large genetic surveys returned clean results: zero PK-deficiency carriers (0/20) and zero Scottish Fold TRPV4 carriers (0/483)
Things to consider
- A contact-first market with almost no published prices and real waiting lists
- The R820W HCM mutation from the shared Ragdoll founding stock is real in this breed (1.7% of 118 tested cats carried it)
- No measured study exists for weight, lifespan or temperament: the file is registry prose, honestly labeled
- TICA offers no championship path: at TICA this is a Category VI experimental-registration breed only
Is a Ragamuffin right for you?
A household that wants the Ragdoll-family sweetness without the pointed-only rulebook. One patient enough for small contact-only catteries, and ready to ask every breeder the two DNA questions (R820W and ) 's own registration policy has already made standard.
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Getting to know the Ragamuffin
'Is a RagaMuffin a real cat breed?' is this page's biggest search, and the answer has real texture. Yes: Championship status at ACFA (2001), (2011) and (2015), with its own standards. And also: , one of the world's biggest registries, gives it no breed page and no championship path, tracking it only under Category VI, 'Experimental (Developing) Breeds', in its registration rules. Both halves are true. Printing them together answers the question better than a flat yes.
The breed IS a founding-story sibling of the [Ragdoll](/breeds/ragdoll). Breeders who left Ann Baker's IRCA registry in the early 1990s took the same founding stock in a different direction. Where the Ragdoll standard demands blue eyes and a pointed coat, the RagaMuffin allows any eye color and every pattern EXCEPT pointed. Our full comparison is the page to read if you are choosing between them. And 'how do I tell if my cat is a RagaMuffin' has an honest answer: by paperwork, because by looks alone a non-pointed fluffy cat proves nothing.
The market is small and quiet, and the health file is unusually specific. Most catteries publish no price (our price page reads the one live color-tracked price board that exists). 's registration policy requires DNA clearance for the R820W mutation and before Active Register breeding: the exact two questions a buyer anywhere should borrow.
Health: what to watch for
A few predispositions are well documented. The good news: they can be screened for or avoided by choosing a reputable breeder and keeping an eye on the right signals.
This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
GCCF's own DNA gate: R820W (HCM) and PKD1 clearance required for breeding
MODERATEThe breed's strictest health rule is a registration mandate, and it leads this section per our standing policy. GCCF's Registration Policy for RagaMuffin Cats states that Active Register eligibility requires proof a cat has 'been demonstrated to be clear of the R820W mutation which causes HCM' and of PKD1, by DNA testing. Both tests are commercially available (UC Davis VGL lists the RagaMuffin as an appropriate breed for its Ragdoll-HCM and PKD1 tests). For a buyer anywhere, these are the two documents to ask for.
Our full guide on this topicThe R820W (MYBPC3) mutation, measured in this breed, not inferred from the Ragdoll
MODERATEThe 11,036-cat Anderson 2022 genetic survey tested 118 RagaMuffins for the Ragdoll's R820W HCM mutation and found 2 carriers: 1.7%, versus 3.0% (33 of 1,115) in Ragdolls in the same study. That is a CARRIAGE rate in a self-selected, DNA-testing-active population, never a disease-prevalence figure, and the source itself says so. What it establishes: the mutation is genuinely present in the breed, at a measured rate, which is exactly why GCCF's DNA gate exists. Any heart murmur or breathing change in any cat means call your vet.
Blood type: a rare above-1%-AB breed
LOWThe same 118-cat cohort gives the breed's measured blood-type distribution: 95.8% type A, 3.4% type AB, 0.8% type B. That AB figure puts the RagaMuffin in the small group of breeds (with the Ragdoll and Russian Blue) where the rare AB type exceeds 1%, worth a line in any breeding or transfusion conversation with your vet.
Two clean survey results, reported because absence is data
LOWZero erythrocyte pyruvate-kinase deficiency carriers in 20 RagaMuffins tested (Grahn 2012). And zero carriers of the Scottish Fold cartilage variant TRPV4 c.1024G>T in 483 RagaMuffins, the largest breed-specific sample in our whole file (Ukawa 2026, a 14-breed Japanese survey). Small first sample, large second one. Neither justifies skipping a vet; both justify not inventing problems the data does not show.
Go deeper on health
Prevention, warning symptoms, costs and insurance: our guides, researched and sourced.
Grooming & living with one
Grooming
Weekly to twice-weekly combing, on which and broadly agree. A light-to-moderate undercoat is normal for the breed, and no numeric shedding rating exists anywhere (a checked absence). Occasional or no bathing. The coat is described as tangle-resistant for its length, but 'less work than it looks' still means a routine.
Living together
Both registries describe an adaptable, child-friendly, cat-and-dog-friendly companion, and the breed's docility is the selling point. The flip side is the same one every docile breed carries. A cat this people-oriented does poorly with long solitary days. Its relaxed tolerance means children must be taught handling, because this cat may not protest first. 's own judges are instructed not to stretch or hold the cat up in the air.
Food & diet
No registry sets a breed-specific diet. One standard phrase needs decoding: 's judged 'fatty pad in the lower abdomen' is a conformational trait of the breed, never a weight finding. For an actual weight question, use body condition scoring with your vet rather than the standard's vocabulary.
Price & budget
$1,000 to 4,000
Price of a kitten from a registered breeder, in the United States
This price reflects the quality of the breeding program: parents' health tests, registry pedigree, socialization. A very low price should raise a red flag. The real cost, though, plays out over the years.
Find a verified breederKitten price, by market
United States
$1,000 to 4,000
United Kingdom
£450 to 995
Australia
A$2,000 to 4,000
Each figure is that country's real market price, researched separately, not a conversion of the others. The smaller line is only there so you can gauge one against your own money: European Central Bank reference rates of 2026-09-18, refreshed daily.
Work out your food budget
Type of food
Estimated monthly budget
$14
≈ 2.4 oz (68 g) per day
A ballpark figure, food only, using the same arithmetic as our portion tool (resting energy requirement × 1.2, a neutered adult). Real needs vary with age, activity level and body condition. Ask your veterinarian for advice.
Verified catteriesThe registry-checked directory, plus a kitten alert near you. Filter it by breed.
Should you insure a Ragamuffin?
Our sources list several predispositions in the Ragamuffin: GCCF's own DNA gate: R820W (HCM) and PKD1 clearance required for breeding, The R820W (MYBPC3) mutation, measured in this breed, not inferred from the Ragdoll, Blood type: a rare above-1%-AB breed, among others. A predisposition is not a foregone conclusion, and many of these cats live their whole lives without ever developing anything. It does change the nature of the follow-up, though: you monitor, sometimes for life, and it's that monitoring that weighs on a budget, more than a one-off accident.
One thing to weigh before deciding: this is a cat you will live alongside for well over a decade, and that is the span the real cost is spread across, premiums and care alike. Where a breed has a measured life expectancy that differs from the figure usually quoted, we say so in the lifespan section above rather than repeating the quoted one here.
Ragamuffin cats in our community
This breed is barely covered by free photo libraries: we only found 3 photos we could verify. Your cats are especially welcome here.
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The vet's take
Veterinary review
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Frequently asked questions
+Is a RagaMuffin a real cat breed?
Yes: Championship status at ACFA since 2001, CFA since 2011 and GCCF since 2015, each with its own standard. The nuance worth knowing: TICA gives it no breed page or championship path, listing it only under Category VI 'Experimental (Developing) Breeds' in its registration rules.
+What is a RagaMuffin cat mixed with?
It descends from the same founding stock as the Ragdoll: breeders who left Ann Baker's IRCA registry in the early 1990s continued with those cats plus carefully chosen domestic longhairs for fresh genes. A pet-blog claim of Himalayan outcrosses appears in no registry document we read.
+How do I tell if my cat is a RagaMuffin?
Honestly: by paperwork. The breed has no exclusive visual marker; a fluffy, sweet, non-pointed cat could be many things. A registered RagaMuffin comes with CFA, ACFA, GCCF or CCA-AFC registration tracing to breakaway-era lines, which is the only identification that means anything.
+How much does a RagaMuffin cost?
US: $1,000 to $4,000 on the one live cattery price board we found, with color driving the spread, and $850-2,500 across a 12-listing marketplace read. UK: the two live listings ran £450 and £995. Canada: no published price exists. Australia: one retailer states A$2,000-4,000. Our price page has every source.
+How long do RagaMuffin cats live?
GCCF states 12 to 16 years, its box and narrative agreeing. No measured lifespan study names the breed anywhere (we checked six candidate papers), so treat the range as a registry estimate, not a measurement.
+What is the difference between a RagaMuffin and a Ragdoll?
The rulebooks are near-opposites: a show Ragdoll must be a blue-eyed pointed cat; a RagaMuffin may be any color and pattern EXCEPT pointed, with any eye color. Our full comparison page covers the shared history, the registries and the non-differences too.
+Is a RagaMuffin the same as a Cherubim?
No. At TICA today, 'Cherubim' is a color division of the Ragdoll. Historically it was Ann Baker's 1971 trademark for her founding cats, from which both breeds descend: a shared ancestor's name, not a synonym for the RagaMuffin.
+Do RagaMuffin cats shed?
Yes, moderately: a light-to-moderate undercoat is normal for the breed, and no source publishes a numeric shedding rating (a checked absence). Weekly to twice-weekly combing keeps the coat ahead of it.
+Are RagaMuffin cats hypoallergenic?
No cat is, and no registry or study makes any allergy claim for this breed: a checked absence. Allergen production is glandular, not coat-based; spend time with the specific cat and involve your allergist before committing.
+Can RagaMuffin cats be left alone?
Not happily for long: everything both registries say about the breed describes a people-first companion. Plan for company, a second pet, or a household where someone is usually home.
+Do RagaMuffins really go limp when you hold them?
That famous line is GCCF's own wording, and we found it in no other registry's RagaMuffin material (CFA's prose never uses 'limp' or 'floppy'). Many owners report exactly that behaviour; we report the claim with its source rather than as a guarantee.
Community questions
Got a question this page doesn't cover? Ask it: the best ones get published here with their answer.
Sources & references
Data checked against reference sources (TICA and CFA standards, genetics laboratories, veterinary schools).
- CFA: RagaMuffin breed page
- CFA: RagaMuffin breed standard PDF
- GCCF: RagaMuffin breed page
- GCCF: Registration Policy for RagaMuffin Cats (R820W and PKD1 Active Register requirement)
- TICA: Registration Rules, Version A, 2 Dec 2025 (Category VI listing)
- Anderson et al. 2022, PLoS Genet 18(6) (11,036 cats: R820W carriage and blood types, PMID 35709088)
- Grahn et al. 2012, BMC Vet Res 8:207 (PK deficiency survey, PMID 23110753)
- Ukawa et al. 2026, Anim Genet (TRPV4 survey, 483 RagaMuffins, PMID 42108233)
- UC Davis VGL: Ragdoll HCM (R820W) test page, RagaMuffin listed as appropriate
- OMIA: MYBPC3-related HCM entry documenting the variant in the RagaMuffin
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