For those of you who like their cats to be cuddlers, who thrive on attention, and who love to follow their owners around like little shadows, the RagaMuffin Cat is for you. They are absolutely famous for their mellow personality, and while you should always keep your cat indoors for its safety and protection, the Ragamuffin has to be kept indoors. These cute balls of fur can actually be quite large for a cat, ranging between ten and fifteen pounds, with the males sometimes weighing in at a whopping twenty pounds that is pure muscle and fur, not fat. Their fur tends to reminds you of rabbit fur, and they have unusual colored eyes in blue, green, turquoise, or odd. As for the name RagaMuffin, it came about because when these cats are cuddled, they go as limp as a rag doll.
The breed is thought to have been brought about literally by accident back in the 1960s by Ann Baker, a Persian breeder who lived in Riverside. Baker had a neighbor who cared for a number of feral cats. One day, one of these feral cats was struck by a car and nursed back to health by the kind-hearted neighbor.
Once recovered, the cat proceeded to have a litter of kittens that so impressed people with their sweet nature and sociability that Baker took in as many of the kittens as she could for the express purpose of breeding them. The myth was that somehow the accident was the reason for the kittens having such a different temperament from their mother. In actuality, it was most likely due to the natural variation of having different fathers. Baker had dubbed these kittens Cherubim cats and developed strict breeding guidelines for the breed. However, a group of breeders split off from her and began to call the cats Ragdolls. After a lot of bitterness and dispute, Baker registered the cats as Ragdolls and franchised the cats, earning royalties on every cat sold, while continuing to make all of the decision regarding their breeding.
It isn't known what happened to Baker, but stories began to emerge in later years from Baker stating that the cat's origins were the result of extraterrestrials and human-gene-implantation experiments. Finally in May of 2001, Curt Gehm of Virginia decided to name the cats RagaMuffin since they sprang from the endearing little urchin cats of Riverside. One Florida woman is quoted as saying, "They are big, huggable, loveable Muffins." RagaMuffins are ideally suited for homes with children but are equally well suited to just about any environment and lifestyle; however, please remember that they do need to be kept indoors. They absolutely adore companionship and will literally get underfoot constantly.
It would be pretty hard to find an aloof RagaMuffin as they are typically bred for their docile nature and will do just about anything to get you to rub their tummies.
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