The Ragamuffin is a breed of domestic cat. It was once considered to be a variant of the Ragdoll cat but was established as a separate breed in 1994. Ragamuffins are notable for their friendly personalities and thick fur. General description The physical traits of the breed include a rectangular, broad-chested body with shoulders supporting a short neck. These cats are classified as having heavy bones and a "substantial" body type. The head is a broad, modified wedge with a moderately rounded forehead with short or medium-short muzzle and an obvious nose dip. The muzzle is wide with puffy whisker pads. The body should appear rectangular with a broad chest and broad shoulders and moderately heavy muscling in the hindquarters, with the hindquarters being equally broad as the shoulders. A tendency toward a fatty pad in the lower abdomen is expected. Fur length is to be slightly longer around the neck and outer edges of the face, resulting in the appearance of a ruff. Texture is to be, soft, dense and silky. Ragamuffin kittens are usually born white and develop a color pattern as they mature. Every color and pattern is allowable, with or without white. Their coats can be solid color, stripes, spots or patches of white, black, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, seal brown or mixed colors. Their eyes can be any solid color, with some exhibiting heterochromia. History The IRCA Cherubim Cats developed from 1971–1994 (23 years) were used as the foundation cats for the Ragamuffin breed and included the IRCA Miracle Ragdolls, Ragdolls, Honey Bears, and Maxamillion lines. In contrast, their cousin the Ragdoll breed was founded with only the IRCA Ragdoll lines developed from 1971–1975 (4 years). Currently, acceptable outcrossings are as follows: ACFA (Siberian), CFA (Long Haired Selkirk Rex, Straight), GCCF (British Longhair). Ragdoll background In the 1960s, a regular, non-pedigreed, white, domestic long-haired cat named Josephine (of unknown Angora or Persian stock), who had produced several litters of typical kittens, eventually produced a litter of unusually docile kittens. When the subsequent litter produced more of the same, Ann Baker (an established cat breeder) purchased several kittens from the owner and set out to create what is now known as the Ragdoll. The sires were of unrecorded Birman or Burmese ancestry. In 1975, after a group of IRCA Ragdoll breeders left, Baker decided to spurn traditional cat breeding associations. She trademarked the name