# The Ragamuffin Cat



## onyxsham

When we got our Ragamuffin, we already had a cat, which we adopted from a petstore. We didn't know about the breed of the first cat we adopted, we figured him to be a turkish angora mixed with something else, and we still believe that. We didn't care much to find out about it. When we got our second cat, he immediately struck us as the atypical cat. He would follow us around, run to us when we call him, greet us at the door, roll around exposing his belly, and pretty much does not leave us alone...EVER. It wasn't until we saw a pic of a cat that looked liked him, and found out it was a Ragamuffin. We did some research into this type of Cat and the description fit perfectly.

We do love both of our cats, but the little Ragamuffin is absolutely adorable, and I think we both just love the fact that he hangs around. I wonder how expensive it is to buy a purebred Ragamuffin, and why it isn't the most bought cat since, from what I read and experienced, they are such loving cats.


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## crazyismycat

Pics please!!!


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## kittyhawk

^^ Wss 


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## yingying

Frankly, I don't think your second cat has any Ragamuffin in him. And I'm 99.99% sure your first cat has no Turkish Angora in him either (you do know that all Turkish Angora cats can be traced back to Ankara Zoo, right?). 

Ragamuffin comes in all colors except colorpoint (by CFA standard, and I think TICA don't accept Ragamuffin, not sure about other association though). So to untrained eyes (who cannot distinguish slightly different head/body/ear/etc. types), almost all non-colorpoint longhaired cats look like a Ragamuffin. Temperment is NEVER an indicator of breed. There are tons of cat breeds, as well as moggies, who are affectionate as you discribed in your own cat.


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## Dave_ph

Ragdoll servant here. Post a pic and I'll tell tell you how Raggish your cat is.

Tuffted paws?


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## doodlebug

All long haired cats have tufted paws...not an indicator of breed.


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## CurlyQRexluver

its very hard to know the breed of a cat unless you get it from a breeder with proof of its bloodline, everyone wants their cat to be "Special" and try and place it in a breed group but the odds are that you probably just have a mixed cat that kind of looks like a certain breed, alot of people with long haired cats that are flame or seal pointed like to assume ragdoll or himalayan and alot of people like to label their long haired tabbys as mainecoons. Shelters have even admitted to placing breedmix titles on their cats because they have a higher likelyhood of getting a home if a breed name is attached to it even though they have no actual proof that the shelter cat is mixed with a certain breed.


if you want an extremely lovable breed you should look into cornish rexes, theyre amazing...but I'm biased, I own two


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## Dave_ph

Ragamuffins and Ragdolls are VERY popular. Pet quality is abot $600 or $700. Ragamuffins are a tad more expensive. The Ragamuffins have more genetic variability so healthier. 

Breedists insist on papers because they paid too much for their cats


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## Ragdoll_Joy

I love my Ragdoll! Can't wait to get another  We are waiting until our kitten is 1 year first  I would love to get a Tortie....


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## doodlebug

Dave_ph said:


> Breedists insist on papers because they paid too much for their cats


So...Breedists are those who practice breedism. Breedism is the the act of breed discrimination. So if someone feels the need to place their cat of unknown origins into the category of a breed, aren't they in fact a Breedist since they are discriminating against the lack of known breed in the cat? 

Since breedism is equated to racism, isn't the person who feels they must classify a cat into a specific breed the equivalent of the person who must categorize every human they meet by race, religion or country of origin? 

Yes, technically I'm a breedist because I have a purebred cat. On the other hand, I don't try to force my DSH cats into a breed category. And no I didn't pay too much for my cat...she's worth every penny and more.


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## CurlyQRexluver

doodlebug said:


> So...Breedists are those who practice breedism. Breedism is the the act of breed discrimination. So if someone feels the need to place their cat of unknown origins into the category of a breed, aren't they in fact a Breedist since they are discriminating against the lack of known breed in the cat?
> 
> Since breedism is equated to racism, isn't the person who feels they must classify a cat into a specific breed the equivalent of the person who must categorize every human they meet by race, religion or country of origin?
> 
> Yes, technically I'm a breedist because I have a purebred cat. On the other hand, I don't try to force my DSH cats into a breed category. And no I didn't pay too much for my cat...she's worth every penny and more.



very well put! I've owned all types of cats and the 2 purebreds I own now were worth every cent I paid for them. I also must say that I like having their bloodline papers, its neat to see their parents and grandparents. It also makes it easy to know what traits and health issues have been directly linked to the family my pet comes from. Its helpful.


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## spotty cats

yingying said:


> Frankly, I don't think your second cat has any Ragamuffin in him. And I'm 99.99% sure your first cat has no Turkish Angora in him either


Agree, pet shops are either getting kittens from byb's/mills or calling moggies certain breeds. Always overcharge and don't provide papers (since reputable breeders don't sell to pet shops)



Dave_ph said:


> Ragamuffins and Ragdolls are VERY popular


Ragdolls are popular, Ragamuffins less so.



doodlebug said:


> All long haired cats have tufted paws...not an indicator of breed.


Exactly, nothing to do with breed at all.



Dave_ph said:


> Breedists insist on papers because they paid too much for their catsr


Incorrect. Papers are part of owning a pedigree cat, they prove that you got what you paid for. 
Instead of people having moggies of unknown origins and calling them a breed, even if they slightly resemble a breed or coat pattern since pedigree cats make up less than 3% of the feline population the odds of finding a purebred cat anywhere is quite slim. 



> So...Breedists are those who practice breedism. Breedism is the the act of breed discrimination. So if someone feels the need to place their cat of unknown origins into the category of a breed, aren't they in fact a Breedist since they are discriminating against the lack of known breed in the cat?


Very well said!


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## Dave_ph

| Since breedism is equated to racism, isn't the person who feels they must classify a cat into a specific breed the equivalent of the person who must categorize every human they meet by race, religion or country of origin? |

No, the people who demand papers, proof of gernetic genetic purity are...well that was WW II


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## onyxsham

I have no idea whether my cat is a raggamuffin, we just think he is because of the way he looks like and because of his behavior. We adopted him from the petstore and he wasn't anymore expensive than any other cat. I am sure he is no purebreed, but the definition of a ragamuffin really fits him. He is just such a great cat to have a around, a real helper around the house and funny guy to have around.


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## carbonxxkidd

onyxsham said:


> I have no idea whether my cat is a raggamuffin, we just think he is because of the way he looks like and because of his behavior. We adopted him from the petstore and he wasn't anymore expensive than any other cat. I am sure he is no purebreed, but the definition of a ragamuffin really fits him. He is just such a great cat to have a around, a real helper around the house and funny guy to have around.


I know what you mean. I adopted both my cats from shelters, but my mom is totally convinced that Ganymede is a purebred Siberian. She has very bad cat allergies and has never reacted to him. He also plays fetch and has other personality traits of the Siberian cats (and Ragdolls, for that matter). I'm pretty sure he came from a hoarder, so he could be purebred of some sort, but he is small, only about 9lbs so probably not Siberian. No matter what he is, I love him!


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## Luvmyfurbabies

Wow! I've noticed what a hot button this question is for some people. First I would actually like to say there are plenty of purebred cats in shelters. Many of them end up there because people don't realize what's involved in some of the intense care it takes to own certain types.
I also think it's fair to assume that there is a possibility that there are types of breeds in some cats found in shelters and a certain trait from that breed becomes apparent in said cat that gets adopted.
I would also think that if you are adopting a cat from a shelter, that you are not a "breedist" or interested in saying you own a such and such type of cat. But that it is just pure fun to try and figure out what your baby is made up of. 
Maybe I'm reading these posts wrong, and if I am, then, my bad. But it just seems like some people get a little unnerved by people who just want to know if you see a certain type of breed in their cat.........dsh's, purebreds, moggies; I love them all, and own them too. Worth every penny, free and paid for.


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## marie73

I don't have papers for Cleo, but I know she's 100% panther.

And the twinz? A new breed. Calibratz. 100%.

I got Cinderella for free from Craigslist, with her papers. But if he had taken her to the shelter, it's doubtful he would have included them. So someone would have adopted a purebred Birman from the local Humane Society. It happens. And I'm sure there would be people telling whoever adopted her that no _way_ did they get a purebred Birman from a shelter.

You never know.


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## 3furbabies

I use to work at a shelter and there were a few purebreds there. The most common was Siamese (occasionally) and Persian(more common because of the fur... They'd come in all matted up).

Anything that had blue eyes or kind of looked like another breed was classified as a breed x. I have seen a Balinese x, ragdoll x(although it had short hair so doubt it was) and a Siamese x(blue eyes but no other similarities).

So it is possible but when it's labelled as a cross then you really don't know if it has what they claim it has in them... It's all a guess. It's the same with mutt dogs that are brought in as strays.


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## Dave_ph

My Vet has a purbred Ragdoll to place now. She gets first pic from clients who can't keep their cats anymore.....nursing home entry, death etc. Purebreds do fall on hard times.


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## 3furbabies

Dave_ph said:


> My Vet has a purbred Ragdoll to place now. She gets first pic from clients who can't keep their cats anymore.....nursing home entry, death etc. Purebreds do fall on hard times.


The point people are trying to make is that there's no proof of pedigree without papers. Of course there was purebreds in rescues and shelters , but one would not be able to say show them as there is no proof it's not a mixed cat that looks like a breed... Again not to say that it's not purebred. In the future I will probably rescue a ragdoll without papers... The older girl I did so happened to have papers because she was an ex show/breeder... I would have still gotten her without them and still called her a purebred.


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## Dave_ph

Ahhh. The cat comes from a client. She know's it's a purebred. 

She also works with the Humane Society and in the past took a slew of Purebred Siamese when the breeder had to be hospitalized. 

My Fay is a purbred Ragdoll from a breeder but the breeder refused to give me her papers because of issues with here breeder mentor. Local Ragdoll breeders have looked at her and said "Show Quality Radgoll"


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## Carmel

But that's sort of irrelevant to the point, which is that a long haired cat does not equal a Ragamuffin, just as much as a pointed cat does not equal a Siamese or a black cat a Bombay. Of course some cats will be purebred, but without papers, there is no proof... so why label your cat something if it isn't? Because it all likelihood, it isn't. There is a very slim chance. I don't see the big deal.

I don't go around saying, "I have blond hair... that must make me _____!" ... I'm actually from many different origins, that I happen to have blond hair is just part of those genetic histories. Most of my family doesn't, in fact, only my father does.


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## marie73

Carmel is a blonde.

Insert jokes here:

____________________________________________________________


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## onyxsham

I really don't understand how so many people have been offended by my post. I was simply stating that his characteristics are those often times used to identify ragamuffin cats. Quite frankly I don't care what kind of cat he is and I never tried to figure it out in the one year I had him. I was just watching a cat show and they identified the ragamuffin and the characteristics and I dug a bit deeper. Sorry if I offended anyone on here, it was just an observation. People on here need to relax a bit...jebus.


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## Ragdoll_Joy

I have a 100% Ragdoll with papers and still can't show her under the breed due to disqualification markings on her chin. I still love her to death and bought her more for the breed personality anyways. We did bring her to a catshow last weekenf to show her as our loving adorable household pet 
just goes to show that even papers don't mean able to show 
Our next cat will either be another Ragdoll or a shelter rescue.


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## BigDaveyL

Ragdoll_Joy said:


> I have a 100% Ragdoll with papers and still can't show her under the breed due to disqualification markings on her chin. I still love her to death and bought her more for the breed personality anyways. We did bring her to a catshow last weekenf to show her as our loving adorable household pet
> just goes to show that even papers don't mean able to show
> Our next cat will either be another Ragdoll or a shelter rescue.


Shelter rescues can very very sweet kitties.

Gadget is very sweet at times. Since it has been cooler, darker and rainy the last week or so, Gadget has been very snuggly at night. He'll drop himself on my chest or lap when I'm watching TV at night and when I go to bed.

The gf's mom has two very sweet kitties that were from a shelter. Both are puurrs, meows, licks and snuggles.

A woman from another local rescue is bringing one for her fosters over to meet Gadget and myself.


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## Dave_ph

Ragdoll_Joy said:


> I have a 100% Ragdoll with papers and still can't show her under the breed due to disqualification markings on her chin. I still love her to death and bought her more for the breed personality anyways. We did bring her to a catshow last weekenf to show her as our loving adorable household pet
> just goes to show that even papers don't mean able to show
> Our next cat will either be another Ragdoll or a shelter rescue.


Disqualification markings!!! Have her PTS immediately


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## Dave_ph

onyxsham said:


> I really don't understand how so many people have been offended by my post. .


 
Puursonality disorders


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## Ragdoll_Joy

PTS immediately?! What do you mean by that?...


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## spotty cats

Ragdoll_Joy said:


> PTS immediately?! What do you mean by that?...


Attempting, and failing miserably, to be funny I guess. 

That a cat shouldn't live if it's pet, not show quality is a horrid thing to say even in jest.


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## Ragdoll_Joy

We love her very much as is!


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## marie73

You people need to lighten up. Or read more of his posts to understand his sense of humor. Geesh.


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## minikin44

Davey, are you thinking of adopting the foster? Also, I agree with Marie... I got the joke right away. Just breathe, everyone! We're all here because we love cats, not because we want to kill them...


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## jawramik

People seem to get awfully riled up about this, geez.

It's true that a purebred cat is still a purebred cat with or without papers, but I think the point that some people were trying to make is that without papers, unless you got your cat from a breeder you know you can trust, it's impossible to know 100% what breed or breeds your shelter or pet shop cat is. Sure, it can be fun to guess, so long as you know that's all it is: guessing. That's not "breedist." Just realistic.

The people at the shelter told us that our cat Coda is half Abyssinian. She looks like she could be. She could also just be a "regular" moggie who happens to exhibit a few Abyssinian traits. It doesn't matter. She's a great cat and we love her and that's all that matters.

In short: There's nothing wrong with speculating on the possible breed(s) of your cat from unknown origins, nor is it "breedist" to say that without proof (i.e. papers) you'll usually never really know if your cat is purebred (or part purebred) or not. So long as you love your kitty and don't _need_ for it to be part whatever for it to be special to you, it's all good.


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## Dave_ph

Ragdoll_Joy said:


> PTS immediately?! What do you mean by that?...


Oh come on. Look at that face. Could anyone?

Fay has dewclaws. That's a Raggie disqualification. She still rules my house. 

Mia was confiscated from a breeder who could no longer afford to keep her cats. My Vet, who gave her to me was involved and had the whole Cattery. No papers but she's still a Lilac Colropoint. No one can deny her heritage...or very vocal cuteness.


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## Ragdoll_Joy

Again, our sweet Joy is growing into a beautiful cat, regardless of color! She is also finaly getting some tint coloring on her back too! We love her and if she does get shown again, we are proud to call her our pet.  We got her breed for the temperment not the colorings or show quality. And she has yet to dissapoint!
Here is an updated picture of her. She is now 9 lbs...


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