Ragamuffin: description of the breed of cats, maintenance and breeding

If you are looking for a rather rare breed of cats, take a look at the handsome ragamuffin. He was bred by crossing a ragdoll cat with other thoroughbred animals. The magnificent appearance, stunning, spectacular and thick coat, all kinds of color variations, pleasant character, love for a person, a gentle disposition make these representatives of the feline kingdom human favorites.

Since the demand among cat lovers is steadily growing, an increase in the population of the breed can be expected in the very near future. Every year there are more and more happy owners of ragamuffins.

The ragamuffin cat breed owes its breeding to a very common American cat - the ragdoll. They bred her back in the middle of the last century, taking as a basis a cat of indeterminate origin. It is possible that Persian cats and Angora were in the genes of this animal. After the Ragdolls were officially recognized and the characteristic features of their breed were bred, a problem arose with the breeders, as the requirements for the standards were too strict and high.

In the early 90s, some breeders wished to separate and create their own association, which set the task of breeding a new animal with an unusual color, stronger, with strong immunity.

Crossing of Ragdolls with a variety of purebred and outbred specimens began. Among the breeds used were Himalayans, Persians, long-haired individuals without a breed. Thus, a new type of cats was obtained, but the breeders immediately faced further difficulties, because the right to breed ragdolls did not belong to them.

They began to create a new name, in the end, an epithet was chosen, which translates as "ragamuffin". This name was supported by the fact that among the parents there were also mongrel cats. One of the variants of the name of the breed was "cherubim" (cherubim). Many people think that it was more suited to these beautiful and friendly kitties.

The ragamuffin is a rather large cat, the coat length is medium, but the density is simply amazing. The coat is spectacular, has a variety of shades of colors. The standard exterior is represented by the following parameters:

• the body of the cat is proportional, the chest is wide, the shoulder girdle is developed powerfully, the pelvis is strong;
• a small layer of fat is allowed on the stomach;
• weight ranges from 4.5 to 9 kg depending on gender;
• sexual maturity and the ability to give birth to offspring comes at about 4 years;
• the coat is not too long, soft to the touch, silky, thick;
• around the neck, muzzle, and on the hind legs, the hair is longer;
• the suits are the most diverse, snow-white is most appreciated;
• the head has a wedge-shaped shape, rounded in silhouette;
• smooth forehead, chin, small muzzle, not angular, visually expanding due to fluffiness and mustache;
• the eyes are large, set wide apart, the look is very expressive;
• eye color can be different, but in the case of sepia and minx coat colors, there are restrictions: green or yellow in the first version, sea wave in the second;
• the shape of the ears is very neat, the ears with a brush, slope slightly forward;
• the length of the limbs is medium, the pads of the paws are large, the front paws are shorter than the hind ones;
• the tail is rich, with luxurious fluffiness, tapering towards the end.

This breed is distinguished extreme friendliness and disposition to a person, it does not have such negative character traits as aggressiveness, anger, vindictiveness. These cats can be safely taken into the house with children, they patiently allow themselves to be stroked, squeezed, carried, picked up. There is no need to be afraid that the cat will release its claws and scratch you in moments of caresses.

Ragamuffins love people, do not single out one family member, becoming attached to each of them. Favorite pastime - on the knees of a person or next to him in an armchair, on a sofa. Another characteristic feature of the cat is moderate laziness.

Ragamuffin gets along well with children, you can not be afraid that the cat will get tired of the little owner and he will harm him. The patience of a cat knows no bounds, it will allow you to play with itself like with a doll: swaddle, roll in strollers.

If you want to train a representative of this breed, it will be easy to do. Cats are incredibly smart, sometimes a simple explanation is enough for them - what to do and what not, so training is not required. These cats are very obedient and flexible.

However, there are a number of problems that the owner of the ragamuffin will have to face.

• This breed feels very bad without people, loneliness is contraindicated for it. It is not necessary to sit at home with the cat, but he just needs a living creature, even if it is a parrot or a guinea pig. You cannot leave them alone in the house with you, they are very sad.
• In addition, representatives of this breed do not have a hunting instinct, so if you hope that he will catch mice, then it is better to opt for other varieties of cats.
• Ragamuffins have a poorly developed sense of security, they are not afraid of danger, so it is necessary to control so that the animal does not get into trouble. The maximum that such a cat is capable of is to hide from the one who offends him. It follows from this that it is impossible to let them out into the street without supervision.

As we have already mentioned, according to the standard, color does not matter in principle. Experts say that the most common suits are tabby, bicolor, color-point.

Features of colors:

• color point also called black or Siamese, there are tones of chocolate, brown and black;
• tabby - the most lightened shade as a background, on which there are spots or stripes of contrasting tones;
• bicolor color may be smooth, evenly spread over the coat, or speckled, but in any case two-tone type.

White is extremely rare, and as for the options for the location of shades, there are a lot of them. The colors of noses, eyes, pads on the paws also differ. The color of the eyes is striking in its variety, as a rule, they have bright colors.

Cats in general are cleanliness, and ragamuffins are no exception, they spend a lot of time cleaning their bodies. It is the responsibility of the owner to carry out procedures that are not available to the cat, and to ensure its protection and healthy development.

Caring for the coat is not a very laborious undertaking, despite the fact that this breed has quite a lot of hairs. The silky structure of the hair prevents the hair from gathering into clumps. Nevertheless, combing is a standard and regular procedure that is necessary not only for the animal, but also for its owner. Indeed, during the moulting period, the house will be littered with wool, if you do not take care of combing.

As for water procedures, they should not be too frequent, especially if the cat does not go outside. Do not torment the animal by washing more often than once a month. When doing this, use not only shampoo for cats, but also conditioner for long hair. If the cat goes outside, wash its paws after returning home.

In addition, eyes, ears, teeth are cleaned on a regular basis, and the latter are cleaned every day, otherwise oral diseases will not keep you waiting. Trim your cat's nails every month, especially if the kitten has not been accustomed to scratching since the age of the kitten. Walk only with the cat, you cannot leave him alone on the street, with the exception of the courtyard in a private house, from where he cannot escape. Residents of the apartment do not need to walk at all.

The owners of purebred cats are constantly debating how best to feed their little friends: specialized food or regular, homemade food. Ragamuffins are quite finicky in food; there are real gourmets among them. It should be borne in mind that they tend to deposit fat in the abdominal area, so the diet should be balanced and well thought out.

Experts recommend feeding animals with specialty foods, dry or otherwise., otherwise it will be much more difficult to monitor the calorie content of food, and this is fraught with obesity, especially in animals that have undergone castration.

The use of inexpensive feed can lead to various malfunctions of internal organs, kidney disease, and urinary tract diseases. If you choose regular food, then there is a high risk of deficiency of vitamins and nutrients, which will also negatively affect the health of the pet. In this case, it is necessary to impose a categorical ban on the following products:

• fatty poultry and meat;
• pasta, flour products;
• spicy spicy dishes;
• fried food;
• sweet;
• bones of fish and poultry;
• raw river fish.

The optimal diet is two meals a day, the kitten needs to be taught to this from childhood. Such a regime will allow the cat to be in shape and not be afraid of excess weight. Be sure to include vitamins, hair and bone supplements specifically for cats in your diet.

Older cats need a more careful approach to nutrition, they definitely need supplements that strengthen the skeleton. It will be great if you introduce a special paste into the diet, thanks to which the body will be cleansed of the wool that gets into it. Remember that introducing new foods can trigger allergies, so do it as gradually as possible.

Most of the breeding nurseries are located in the United States. Nevertheless, there are breeders in other countries: Canada, Korea, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Austria, Holland. There are no such breeders in Russia and neighboring countries. There are Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian nurseries dealing with ragdolls, and they can sell ragamuffins there. The cost per kitten is variable, it is influenced by pedigree, gender, vaccinations. As a rule, the price of one baby is about $ 1000.

When choosing a baby, contact only trusted breeders, otherwise you run the risk of acquiring an animal of the wrong breed or sick. When choosing, pay attention to the following points:

• eye color - it should be bright, deep, juicy, the brighter, the more likely a thoroughbred representative;
• rib cage - it should be distinguished by the width, strength and shape of a rectangle, even in a baby;
• hind limbs - the muscles of a healthy cat are well developed, paws are strong, powerful, the width is comparable to the shoulders;
• color absolutely all babies are white, only after reaching 3 or 4 months does the color begin to change, it becomes what it always will be, so wait 16 weeks before buying a kitten;
• medical history and vaccinations - very important information that you need to get before buying, and this applies not only to the kitten, but also to its parents.

The immunity of cats is quite strong, because in their pedigree there were outbred street individuals. They made the breed stronger and more resistant to infections. So far, not a single disease associated with genetics has been identified. Ragamuffins can hurt:

• allergies;
• cardiomyopathy;
• disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
• polycystic kidney disease;
• periodontal disease;
• obesity.

Most of these predispositions are corrected through proper and balanced nutrition, regular teeth brushing. Attention should be paid to vitamin complexes and supplements, as well as antiparasitic prophylaxis.

Timely vaccination of the animal will avoid a large number of problems in the future, especially with regard to diseases of the viral spectrum. If you take proper care of the ragamuffin, feed him correctly, then he will be a faithful friend for quite a long time - up to 16 years.

Features of the ragamuffin cat breed are shown in the following video.