Ragamuffin of First Europe


History By Sylvia Reich, Cattery of RagamuffinMamma The beginnings of this breed date back to the early 1960's when Mrs.Ann Baker in California was very active in "developing" various new breeds. She called the whole group "Cherubims," as they all possessed such sweet dispositions. (Of the many breeds, only the Ragdolls, Miracle Ragdolls and Honeybears remain today.) She is reported to have been quite an eccentric lady; somewhat difficult to work with and so, over the years several groups who worked with her and the new breeds, broke away from her control. The first group who left Mrs. Baker's group in the early 1970's, registered their cats with the mainstream associations and they are now known as the modern Ragdoll. Another group broke away from Mrs. Baker in 1994, and in accordance with their contracts, renamed their cats RagaMuffins. The RagaMuffin is a blend of the "Cherubim" breeds. Apart from their outstanding personality and looks, the story of how they were named, makes them even more endearing to me (if this is possible :-). Because of the accusations of other breeders, that this particular breed is no breed at all, just "street cats," the name used, described a lovable street urchin - a RagaMuffin. In February 1994, ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) granted "experimental status" for the breed. At this point, the group of breeders could have chosen a new name - but decided to keep the old one. So the name "RagaMuffin" became official. Today, the RagaMuffins are recognized by ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association), UFO (United Feline Organization) AACE (American Association of Cat Enthusiasts) and ICE (International Cat Exhibitors) in America, Japan and by OERCC (oesterreichischer Royal-Cat-Club) in Austria/Europe. Mrs. Klarmann, President of RAG (RagaMuffin Associated Group) says: "Yes, we are still a small group. It's been planned that way......considering that we started with a limited number of breeders, it has been necessary to go slowly and make good choices." The RagaMuffins are on their way to conquer more and more hearts!

History

By Sylvia Reich, Cattery of RagamuffinMamma

The beginnings of this breed date back to the early 1960's when Mrs.Ann Baker in California was very active in "developing" various new breeds. She called the whole group "Cherubims," as they all possessed such sweet dispositions. (Of the many breeds, only the Ragdolls, Miracle Ragdolls and Honeybears remain today.) She is reported to have been quite an eccentric lady; somewhat difficult to work with and so, over the years several groups who worked with her and the new breeds, broke away from her control. The first group who left Mrs. Baker's group in the early 1970's, registered their cats with the mainstream associations and they are now known as the modern Ragdoll.
Another group broke away from Mrs. Baker in 1994, and in accordance with their contracts, renamed their cats RagaMuffins. The RagaMuffin is a blend of the "Cherubim" breeds. Apart from their outstanding personality and looks, the story of how they were named, makes them even more endearing to me (if this is possible :-). Because of the accusations of other breeders, that this particular breed is no breed at all, just "street cats," the name used, described a lovable street urchin - a RagaMuffin. In February 1994, ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) granted "experimental status" for the breed. At this point, the group of breeders could have chosen a new name - but decided to keep the old one. So the name "RagaMuffin" became official. Today, the RagaMuffins are recognized by ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association), UFO (United Feline Organization) AACE (American Association of Cat Enthusiasts) and ICE (International Cat Exhibitors) in America, Japan and by OERCC (oesterreichischer Royal-Cat-Club) in Austria/Europe.
Mrs. Klarmann, President of RAG (RagaMuffin Associated Group) says: "Yes, we are still a small group. It's been planned that way......considering that we started with a limited number of breeders, it has been necessary to go slowly and make good choices."
The RagaMuffins are on their way to conquer more and more hearts!