The history of the Ragamuffin cat begins with some of the same foundation members as those used to create the Ragdoll cat. These IRCA Cherubim Cats were developed between 1971 and 1994. Famous IRCA Miracle Ragdolls, Honey Bears, Ragdolls, and Maximilion breeding lines all went into the development of the Ragamuffin cat.
The original IRCA Ragdoll cats and Cherubim cats were registered privately with the International Ragdoll Cat Association founded by a breeder named Ann Baker. Many of the cats used in the foundation of these breeds were descendents of a domestic long-haired cat named Josephine who was of unknown Persian or Angora stock, and who had a reputation for producing kittens that were unusually docile.
By 1994, some IRCA breeders decided to strike out on their own. Because of trademarks on the breed names Ragdoll and Cherubim, these breeders decided to rename progeny from their IRCA Cherubim cats. One of the group’s founding members, a breeder named Curt Gehm, suggested the name Ragamuffin, and it stuck.
The group initially allowed a limited number of out crossings to domestic longhair cats and Persians, as well as IRCA Ragdolls. Currently, only cats with at least one Ragamuffin parent and one CFA / ACFA/ GCCF outcross parent qualify as authentic Ragamuffins.
The Cat Fanciers Association accepted the breed in the miscellaneous class in 2003, and promoted them to championship status in 2011.