Ginger Maine Coon with underbite (malocclusion). Cause?

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Malocclusion is the imperfect positioning of the teeth when the jaws are closed. There are various versions of it. The lady who cares for this extreme-bred, ginger Maine Coon says her cat has an underbite. It is hard to see in the photo. It means that the lower jaw protrudes further out than the upper jaw. It looks relatively slight in this cat.

Ginger Maine Coon with underbite (malocclusion). Cause?
Ginger Maine Coon with underbite (malocclusion). Cause? Probably inbreeding. Photo: u/jourdanlc 

She writes on Reddit:
Vet thinks he’s around 4 or 5 years! Yeah, he was dumped out in our neighborhood last Christmas 🥺 we’re in Alabama so tbh it’s not surprising. The animals laws here are practically non-existent. I’ll look that up! He’s definitely been a great kitty!

She doesn't have a great regard for animal welfare in Alabama 😉. I am sure that she is right. Imagine dumping a genuine Maine Coon. And one with a great character. Really careless and callous I'd say. And rare too. Very few Maine Coons are abandoned.

But what about the underbite. Well, my view is that it is linked to the extreme breeding. This boy (he is a male because he has a ginger coat and most ginger-coated domestic cats are males) has a very strong, heavy muzzle which is beyond what is required by the breed standard. 

The breed standard (CFA) says: 

"MUZZLE/CHIN: is visibly square, medium in length and blunt ended when viewed in profile. It may give the appearance of being a rectangle but should not appear to be tapering or pointed. Length and width of the muzzle should be proportionate to the rest of the head and present a pleasant, balanced appearance."
So, the square or rectangular appearance of the muzzle is normal but it depends how far the breeders go. Some European breeders go further than some Americans. Or American breeders of 'European Maine Coons' breed cats with heavy muzzles.

In order to achieve this muzzle, there will be inbreeding. All purebred cats are inbred. They have to be to fix the appearance but it can cause unwanted side-effects, one of which might rarely be an underbite.

I have not seen this before in Maine Coons but I have seen it in Persians and Exotic Shorthairs. It might be quite common in Exotic Shorthairs. Once again it will be due to inbreeding that has gone too far in an attempt to get that desired appearance.

Selective breeding of both the Maine Coon and Exotic Shorthair focuses on the mouth and jaw. For the MC the muzzle has to have that Maine Coon look as mentioned. For the Exotic Shorthair the face has to be smushed (flat). The Indians call them 'punch-face Persians'.

Both reshape the muzzle. Both can cause jaw issues it seems.

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