A big, soft cuddle cat with a coat like rabbit fur, in almost every colour, and a true lap cat.
The RagaMuffin is a cousin of the Ragdoll: they share the same ancestors in California. In 1994 a group of breeders went their own way and called their cats RagaMuffins. It is big and heavy, with a semi-long, silky coat. It is calm, sweet and would most like to sit on its people's laps.
Very affectionate and loves attention from its people.
A true lap cat that enjoys being picked up and held.
Happy to join in a game, but would really rather cuddle.
Calm and unhurried, but a little play every day keeps it fit.
Fairly quiet: it chats a little, but does not meow much.
Eager to please. With rewards it can learn tricks, fetch or walking on a harness.
Trusts visitors straight away, so much that it is better not left to roam outside alone.
Patient and gentle with children who treat it kindly.
Usually gets on well with a calm dog, if they get to know each other slowly.
Gets on with other cats. Because it is so gentle, let them meet slowly.
Does not like being alone for long. Another pet or someone at home helps.
Very well suited to life indoors, ideally with a safe balcony or a secure garden.
A RagaMuffin is just a Ragdoll with another name.
They share the same ancestors, but since 1994 they have been two breeds, each with its own standard. A Ragdoll is always colourpointed with blue eyes. A RagaMuffin may be almost any colour, with eyes of any colour, and has a rounder head.
RagaMuffin kittens are born all white.
No, no standard says so. Kittens may have lighter or not yet complete markings. Being born white goes with colourpointed kittens, like the Ragdoll.
The name RagaMuffin was meant as a joke.
The breeders first wanted to call the breed Liebling. RagaMuffin, a word for a street urchin, recalls the street cats the breed comes from.
The RagaMuffin and the Ragdoll come from the same family. Ann Baker bred free-roaming neighbourhood cats in California and kept her own records of which cats belonged. Her rules grew ever stricter. Breeders who left were not allowed to use the name Ragdoll, because it belonged to her. That is how the RagaMuffin began, keeping every colour.
In Riverside, California, Ann Baker starts breeding free-roaming neighbourhood cats. Ragdolls and RagaMuffins descend from them.
Ann Baker starts her own registry, IRCA, to register her cats.
A first group of breeders leaves IRCA. Their cats become the Ragdoll of the big registries.
A second group leaves. Not allowed to use the name Ragdoll, they call their cats RagaMuffins.
The American registry ACFA gives the RagaMuffin championship status.
America's CFA starts registering RagaMuffins.
The first RagaMuffins arrive in Britain. They are checked with a DNA test first.
RagaMuffins are no longer crossed with Ragdolls.
CFA gives the RagaMuffin full championship status.
Britain's GCCF recognises the RagaMuffin for championship.
Big, heavy and solid, with a rectangular body. It grows slowly: only at about four is it fully grown. Females are clearly smaller than males.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Blue(a)
Tortie(f)
Silver mackerel tabby(ns 23)
Black and white(n 09)
Brown mackerel tabby and white(n 09 23)
Natural mink(n 32)The Ragdoll pattern, with a pale body and a dark face, legs and tail. Such RagaMuffins are born and registered, and breeders need them to get mink. But CFA and GCCF do not allow them at shows; only ACFA's older standard accepts them.
The M in RagaMuffin is a capital on purpose: one of the first breeders said it stands for big, huggable Muffins.
That is what the breeders first wanted to call the breed, until Curt Gehm came up with RagaMuffin.
That is about how long it takes a RagaMuffin to grow to its full size.
The CFA standard calls the RagaMuffin a cuddly teddy bear in cat form.
According to CFA, a RagaMuffin probably would not mind joining a tea party dressed in doll's clothes.
No study has looked at it. Most breed descriptions say 12 to 16 years. The related Ragdoll lived to nearly 13 on average in British vet records.
The heart muscle grows too thick, so the heart pumps less well. Many cats show nothing for a long time. It can happen in any cat; how often in RagaMuffins is not known. Because the breed comes from the Ragdoll, breeders test for the inherited form known in Ragdolls.
How it is found: A DNA test for the Ragdoll form and a heart scan by a specialist. A clear DNA result does not rule HCM out completely.
Small fluid-filled cysts grow in the kidneys and slowly crowd out healthy tissue. Signs usually show only around age seven. It came into the breed through Persians; one parent with the gene is enough.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents, and a kidney scan to be sure.
Plaque makes the gums red and sore, and later teeth can come loose. It is common in cats; RagaMuffins are said to be extra prone to it. Brushing the teeth from kittenhood helps.
How it is found: No test; the vet checks the teeth at every visit.
Combing once or twice a week is enough: the silky coat rarely mats. Comb a little more often during the moult.
It is calm by nature, so play with it a little every day, about a quarter of an hour. A sturdy scratching post belongs in the house.
A RagaMuffin loves its food, and the thick coat hides extra weight. Measure its meals and feel its ribs now and then. The pad under the belly is normal and does not mean it is too fat.
The RagaMuffin is not hypoallergenic. If you are allergic to cats, do not count on it.
It trusts everyone and does little to stand up for itself. So keep it indoors, or give it a safe balcony or a secure garden.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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