The history of the origin of the breed, the official standard for the appearance of the ragamuffin, character traits, the health of purebred cats, the rules for keeping a pet, the price of a kitten. Ragamuffin (English Ragamuffin cat, you can often find this variant of the spelling of the name of the breed of these cats RagaMuffin) - these are just incredible representatives of the feline world, who just somehow miraculously know how to win over anyone who meets them, it seems, these beautiful purrs strike on the spot with a bouquet of their positive qualities. From Mother Nature, they got everything that a cat can only dream of, they are beautiful and intelligent, intelligent and mannered, and most importantly, that you will not find a kinder, complaisant, affectionate and obedient pet in the daytime with fire. Indeed, these cats simply radiate positive emotions, even if your day has not been given, when you come home, where your fluffy ragamuffin is eagerly awaiting you, everything will work out right away, since your house will always be filled with the devotion of your four-legged companion and his always cheerful and encouraging purr …
So, if you have always dreamed of a pet that you can squeeze, stroke and roll with it on the couch for a long time, then ragamuffin is just the one you have been looking for for so long. This furry in a matter of minutes will become the best friend not only to you, but also to all members of your family, even the smallest.
History of the origin of ragamuffin cats
Representatives of this species appeared on our planet relatively recently, and the world learned about these adorable animals a little later. The first mention of the breed of cats with a not quite ordinary name dates back to the end of the 50s of the last century. The first descendants of this breed saw the world in California, USA. It was there at that time that another breed of felines was at the peak of popularity - Ragdolls, which, by the way, are the direct progenitors of Ragamuffins.
It would seem that everyone was happy with the cats and cats of the ragdoll breed, but local Californian breeders found it necessary to slightly transform the breed. That is, in their opinion, these purrs lacked some qualities, namely intelligence, courage, physical strength, variety of colors and, as sad as it may be, mental abilities. The program for breeding a new breed of cats was headed by the well-known breeder and felinologist Ann Baker at that time, this woman took upon herself the entire burden of responsibility for the selection of a candidate for the founders of the new breed.
In a fairly short period of time, many options were considered, among which such eminent breeds as the Himalayan cat and the Persian appeared, but everything was somehow wrong. Such a "casting" would probably have continued until today, if the breeder had not come up with a strange, risky, as it seemed then, idea. She made a responsible decision to cross the ragdoll with the most ordinary yard cat, and when the breeders received the result of the experiment, everyone unanimously recognized Ann Baker's idea as ingenious. Kittens of a new breed were born, which completely and completely corresponded to the invented and planned breed standard.
As the first offspring of the new species matured, it was no secret that everything was crowned with success. Before the eyes of the American breeder, cute kittens with a beautiful appearance, the good nature of ragdolls and the quick wits of an ordinary courtyard murka were growing up. But the popularity and demand did not fall on the representatives of this breed just from the sky with the birth of the first ragamuffins. Real success came to them after a long quarter of a century. Only in the 90s of the last century, at one of the prestigious exhibitions, all members of the commission paid attention to a completely new cat, which was Ragamuffin cat. Then only a new species, which at first was to be called "cherub", received such a long-awaited recognition. The first organizations to accept ragamuffins into the ranks of purebred and elite cats were CFA and ACFA. Later, these cats received official confirmation of their pedigree from many associations with world names.
Description of the official standard for the appearance of cats of the type RagaMuffin
The final version of the appearance of ragamuffin cats was established in 1995 by members of the CFA Commission and it consists of the following criteria.
- Torso these pets are very weighty and stocky. Representatives of this breed are rather large animals, the average body weight of an adult male ranges from 9-11 kg, the fairer sex is slightly smaller, their weight does not go beyond 7-8 kg. The body of the Ragamuffin cat resembles a rectangle in configuration. These purrs have a wide and strong rib cage, as well as the shoulder girdle and pelvic projection. In some individuals, slightly hanging folds of skin can be seen in the lower abdomen. But these cats by no means can be called fat, we can say about them that they are very solid.
- Limbs in ragamuffins of medium length, but in relation to the general parameters of the body, they are very harmonious in size. The hind legs slightly predominate in length over the front ones; the paw pads are round in shape, relatively large, and stable. Also, these animals have fur between the toes and under them.
- Tail process in Raga Muffin it is rather long, approximately equal to the length of the body, slightly widening from the tip towards the base. The tail is well pubescent, the fur covering it is very thick, more rigid in texture than on the body.
- Head these Californian cats resemble a slightly modified wedge in shape, all the lines on the pet's face look smooth and rounded. All protruding parts of the head (chin, cheekbones and forehead) should also be rounded. The muzzle itself is cute, rounded in configuration, but at the same time quite wide. The ragamuffin cheeks and mustache pads are slightly plump.
- Auricles Ragamuffin cat is small in size, set at a short distance and at a slight slope towards the front. From the base to the tip, the ears are slightly sharpened, at the tips you can see small tassels.
- Eyes representatives of this breed have a beautiful almond shape, as for the size of the eyes, then they can undoubtedly be called large. The eyes are not set very wide, the breed standard allows a small angle of inclination of the location of the visual organs. The look of this cat is very deep and piercing. As for the color of the iris of the eye, then, in principle, there are no restrictions, the main thing is that the color of the eyes matches the basic tone of the color of the animal. But it should be noted that the purer and richer the ragamuffin's eye color, the more this cat is valued. In some individuals, the phenomenon of heterochromia is possible, and if earlier it was considered a defect in the breed, today it is a kind of "highlight" and such kittens are much more expensive.
- Wool These seals are of medium length and above average, but the ragamuffin breed is classified as long-haired. The texture of their "fur coat" is soft and silky, pleasant and delicate to the touch. The coat covering the large body of the cat is very, very thick, the length of the hairs varies slightly in different parts of the body. So around the neck, around the outline of the head and on the hind legs, the fur can be many times longer.
- Color, according to the official standard, the breed can be anything, and is complemented by a variety of patterns. For this breed of cats, there is no mandatory symmetry and percentage of the secondary color. The only exceptions are animals painted in point colors, if you see such a cat, rest assured, this is not RagaMuffin.
Features of the temperament of cats of the ragamuffin breed
Perhaps the main feature of these charming pets is their inexhaustible kindness and complaisance. They adapt very well to any living conditions and very quickly become attached to a person. When starting such a pet, one should take into account the fact that the kitten is very hard on being alone for a long time. He vitally needs attention and communication with the owners. It is also worth preparing yourself for the fact that it is unlikely that you will be able to be in your house alone with yourself, this furry friend will always be near you, whether you like it or not.
Ragamuffin will always meet and escort you at the door. He will happily settle under the owner's side on the sofa, while purring sweetly. As for the upbringing and training of ragamuffin, due to the fact that these animals are very smart, attentive and diligent, there are no problems with this.
If you have small children in your house, then you need to worry, rather, for your pet. In dealing with children, this cat shows extreme patience, he will be happy when he is squeezed, scratched or stroked. But it is not a secret for anyone that a child can sometimes cross the line "no" and cause some discomfort to the animal. RagaMuffin will not bite and scratch, he lacks such skills as hunting and self-defense at the genetic level. In any incomprehensible situation, the cat will simply run away in horror and hide in the farthest and most secluded corner of your house.
As for communicating with other pets, usually cats of this breed quickly find a common language with everyone, even if it is a hamster or a guinea pig, if only no one offends them.
Ragamuffin cat health
Another equally important advantage of this species is the resistance of these animals to various kinds of diseases. Of course, it cannot be said that such a pet will never be ill with anything, but the fact that hereditary pathologies are not observed in them is so for sure. In addition, RagaMuffin naturally inherited a fairly strong immunity, if it is timely supported by vaccinations and preventive visits to the veterinarian, as a result, you will have a completely healthy and cheerful cat walking around the house.
But no matter how strong and healthy your friend is, we must not forget that in many respects his life expectancy depends on the owner. For example, in no case should you neglect periodic courses of anthelmintic therapy. Many are of the opinion that if their cat eats only the right food and thermally processed and does not poke his nose out into the street, then he cannot get parasites. The answer to this is unequivocal - they can, and they will. There are such types of worms that you yourself, without knowing it, bring into the house, on your shoes, for example, so it is better to prevent the problem than to cure it later.
In addition, in the life of ragamuffins there is another common problem - overweight, since these cats are very large, those extra couple of kilograms are not always noticed, and they can harm your friend. So the right decision is to control the amount of food eaten and provide your furry with regular physical activity. If the cat does not move a lot, then soon you will get lazy and you will not have a cheerful playful pet, but a fluffy toy that eats a lot, and it may have health problems due to excess weight.
The content of ragamuffins and rules for caring for them
- Hair care. Despite the fact that RagaMuffin are the happy owners of the length of the coat, it does not get tangled by its nature, therefore, for aesthetic purposes, the cat needs to be combed once a week with the help of a slicker. But since these animals are very clean and lick their fur almost every hour, it is better to help them with this more often, otherwise a wool ball will form in your pet's stomach very quickly, which can lead to the most unexpected and unpleasant consequences. Therefore, it is optimal to comb your Ragamuffin cat three to four times a week. But no matter how often you scratch your friend, but food or paste for removing wool will come in handy for ragamuffin, it can be purchased at the pet store. It is not bad to plant special plants for cats, he will eat them with pleasure - he is good and his health is safe. As for bathing, this procedure should be resorted to either as the pet's "fur coat" gets dirty, or about once a season. Representatives of this breed cannot be called avid fans of water procedures, but due to the peculiarity of their temperament, the cat will stand humbly under the shower, albeit slightly feeling discomfort.
- Hygiene. Seals of the Raga Muffin breed are not among those who need to clean their eyes and ears every day, everything should be done as soon as they become dirty. But more often than not, such a pet does an excellent job with everything on its own. From time to time, you can disinfect the eyes by wiping them with cotton pads soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid. As for the ears, you can simply gently wipe them with the same cotton pad, previously moistened in a decoction of herbs, such as chamomile or calendula. But teeth are another matter, if you do not provide official care for the oral cavity of your pet, he risks very quickly acquiring problems such as the formation of tartar and periodontal disease. In order to avoid these conditions, your ragamuffin needs to brush your teeth, and this should be done not from time to time, but daily. To do this, it is best to arm yourself with a special toothbrush, you can use baby and animal tooth powder. In the event that it is not at all possible to carry out this manipulation with a toothbrush, try winding a piece of clean, dense tissue around your index finger and using it to clean your pet's teeth and gums.
- Toilet. Tray training for the Ragamuffin cat is almost never a problem if the owner is doing everything right. That's right - this means that it is impossible to show aggression towards the animal, in no case to shout at it and it is strictly forbidden to use force. With these methods, you will only bring the kitten to horror, and not in any way to the tray. Due to the fact that fur grows between the fingers and on them of ragamuffins, it is important to inspect whether the filler is entangled in it, if it is, it is better to help the pet get rid of it, and even better to use a tray with a net. It is important to carefully monitor that the litter box is always clean and the litter is changed on time, otherwise you risk finding a bad smelling "surprise" in the most unexpected place. If such a situation occurs, it is recommended to sprinkle this place, which the cat has chosen, with citrus juice, so you will be sure that he will not go there again.
- Nutrition. Ragamuffins are large animals, so they eat a lot, and maybe even more, if they are not controlled, and this cannot be done, they do not need excess weight. It is best to give preference to ready-made industrial feeds of high quality, these can be premium or super premium products. All the necessary substances, vitamins and minerals are selected in the optimal amount in the finished feed, both in dry and in canned food. But it will not be superfluous to additionally add a course of Ragamuffin cat vitamins, especially during the molting period.
Buying a ragamuffin kitten, photo and price
Since this breed is very popular, it will not be difficult to find such a cat, both in Russia and in the CIS countries, even in Moscow there are many nurseries. The average cost of a kitten is 55,000–58,000 rubles, show-class kittens will cost you much more.
