We will be in touch soon to confirm.
Breed guide · Cats
She greets the delivery driver like an old friend. I shut the balcony door before I answer.
Last updated 13 October 2026
We will be in touch soon to confirm.
What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
The delivery driver, the plumber, the neighbour: all old friends.
What's going onRagamuffins were bred to be unafraid of people, so every visitor is a friend. Shut the balcony and the inner doors before you open the front one.
At home
Scooped up, they melt into your arms and hang loose.
What's going onMany Ragamuffins relax completely when held. It does not always mean they want to stay. Put them down when the tail flicks or the ears turn.
At home
Still eating, still purring, just jumping a little less.
What's going onLike every cat, they hide pain, and a Ragamuffin's calm nature hides it even better. A lowered head, narrowed eyes and less jumping may be all you get.
At home
Still filling out, and still hungry, well past their second birthday.
What's going onRagamuffins keep growing until around four, and their appetite grows with them. Weigh their food and adjust it as they grow, so they fill out with muscle.
At home
A ball rolls past and they barely look up.
What's going onA feather dragged slowly behind a cushion is another matter. Five minutes before a meal, twice a day, keeps them moving.
At home
Fast asleep in the afternoon, their side rising and falling.
What's going onHypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a known risk for Ragamuffins at every stage. Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their nature
Built for: Bred to be calm with everyone.
In Dubai: Walks up to a stranger as if they have known them for years.
Their doors
Built for: No fear of new people or open doors.
In Dubai: A balcony, a lift and a front door that opens every day.
Their pain
Built for: Calm, and quiet about pain.
In Dubai: Shows very little when sore or unwell.
A cat who trusts everyone needs someone watching.
Shut the balcony door before the front one, and look closely, because they will not tell you. The ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around what a Ragamuffin is prone to at every age, starting with their heart, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will rarely struggle or cry, so the signs are in their face.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
They will rarely struggle or cry, so the signs are in their face.
What to do
Learn their relaxed face first, while everything is normal. Then watch for narrowed eyes, flattened ears, a tight muzzle and a low head. If you see them and cannot find a reason, call your vet.
They are heavy cats who will rarely wriggle, so you decide when the hold ends.
Every age
Why
They are heavy cats who will rarely wriggle, so you decide when the hold ends.
What to do
One hand under the chest, one under the back legs. Keep holds short, and put them down when the tail flicks. Ask children to sit on the floor and let them come over.
The calm cat still hunts, and play keeps a big, growing body moving.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 2 years
Why
The calm cat still hunts, and play keeps a big, growing body moving.
What to do
Drag a wand toy slowly along the floor and behind a cushion, five minutes twice a day before meals. Let them catch it, then feed them.
Obesity is a risk from their junior years, and they keep growing until around four.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 6 years
Why
Obesity is a risk from their junior years, and they keep growing until around four.
What to do
Weigh their daily food and split it into small meals, some in a puzzle feeder. Ask your vet to reset their portion when they are neutered, and again as they fill out.
Injuries are a risk in their junior and prime years, and they have little fear of open doors.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 6 years
Why
Injuries are a risk in their junior and prime years, and they have little fear of open doors.
What to do
Keep them off the balcony unless it is fully netted, and check the netting for gaps. Fit restrictors on windows. Shut them in a room before you open the front door to a delivery.
The heart condition Ragamuffins are prone to can be silent, and faster breathing at rest may be the first sign you see.
Every age
Why
The heart condition Ragamuffins are prone to can be silent, and faster breathing at rest may be the first sign you see.
What to do
Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day. If they breathe with their mouth open at rest, contact your vet now. Cardiac auscultation (listening to the chest) is in your plan from kittenhood, and echocardiography (an ultrasound scan of the heart) from their junior years.
Bladder problems are a risk from their junior to their mature years, and their kidneys later on.
Every age, most of all from 7 months
Why
Bladder problems are a risk from their junior to their mature years, and their kidneys later on.
What to do
Scoop daily and notice the number and size of the clumps. Give some wet food every day, and set out a few wide, shallow water bowls or a fountain, away from their food and tray. A male cat straining, crying or going in and out of the tray with little or nothing coming out may have a blocked bladder. That is an emergency: contact your vet now. If a female cat is straining, contact your vet the same day. A urinalysis (a urine test) is in your plan from their junior years.
The coat resists matting, but it is dense, and a tangle can hurt without them showing it.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
The coat resists matting, but it is dense, and a tangle can hurt without them showing it.
What to do
At least once a week, and more when they shed: behind the ears, under the front legs and the belly. Comb knots out gently, never pull.
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and they will keep eating with a sore mouth.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and they will keep eating with a sore mouth.
What to do
Lift their lip and look at their teeth and gums. Brush a few seconds at a time with cat toothpaste. Notice if they drop food or chew on one side. An annual dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan from their junior years.
In a cat who never complains, a written record is how you spot a slow change.
Every age
Why
In a cat who never complains, a written record is how you spot a slow change.
What to do
Stand on the scales holding them, then without them, and write down the difference. Note whether they still jump up and how much they drink. Call your vet about any steady loss or gain.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 6 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
11 to 14 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
15 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Types of Ragamuffin cats
Ragamuffins began inside the Ragdoll programme and share its calm, people-loving nature. The difference is the coat: Ragamuffins come in almost every colour and pattern, and the pointed coat of a Ragdoll is the one look they do not have.
Colours
Tortoiseshell, tabby or one solid colour, with or without white, and always those large, walnut-shaped eyes.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, and the vet listens to their chest from the very first visit. Check the balcony netting and the window restrictors before they learn where the balcony is.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A Ragamuffin is happiest indoors and cool, with fresh water in more than one place. Net the balcony, fit window restrictors, and plan to shut them in a room before you answer the door.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is the first risk for a Ragamuffin, from kittenhood. Their vet listens to the chest from the first visit, with a first heart scan in their junior years, so plan for those visits from the start.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
If it's a kitten: First 30 days with a new kitten · Kitten vaccinations in the UAE
When it is not behaviour.
She'll still greet the delivery driver. If she stops coming to the door, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
About 10,000 years ago
Every Ragamuffin descends from the African wildcat, which began living around the first farming villages of the Near East.
What they still carryThe whole hunter, including the habit of hiding pain.
From the 1960s
Ragamuffins began as cats in Ann Baker's Ragdoll programme in California, bred from the same founding cats for size, a soft coat and a calm nature.
What they still carryThe same founding temperament as the Ragdoll.
1994
A group of breeders left Baker's registry over its rules. Unable to use the Ragdoll name, they chose RagaMuffin, and bred the calm temperament in almost every colour and pattern.
What they still carryThe Ragdoll's nature, with a wider range of looks and a larger, plusher body.
2003 to 2011
The Cat Fanciers' Association accepted the RagaMuffin in 2003 and gave the breed championship status in 2011.
What they still carryA sweet, docile temperament, and a heart risk to watch.
Today
A pedigree kept indoors, in homes with balconies, lifts and a front door that opens every day.
What they still carryA large, slow-maturing, trusting cat who greets strangers.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Ragamuffin suits you, so might these.
RagdollThe same kind of cat: the breed the Ragamuffin came from, just as easy to hold, always with a pointed coat and blue eyes
BirmanThe same kind of cat: another gentle, calm colourpoint, a little smaller, with four white paws
SiberianThe same gentle love of company and quiet voice, in a big forest cat who plays more
ChartreuxA similar size, a weekly brush and the same need for a cool home, in a quieter cat who likes their own space
