'New-style' Maine Coon versus the 'old-style' Maine Coon; a bad development?

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According to a Maine Coon cat breeder, Debbie, in The Netherlands, developing within the cat fancy and among Maine Coon breeders, there is a 'new-style' Maine Coon. This is unofficial. It is in breach of the breed standard or should I say breed standards because there are several leading cat associations with their own breed standard but with respect to this breed, they are similar.

Siamese cat

But the concept of "new-style" compared to "old-style" comes from the Siamese cat. The Siamese cat has many different appearances from the "Applehead" (more cobby features) to the "old-style" (more classic looking) and the 'Modern Siamese' (super slender) as I have referred to it. There is also the Thai cat which is also a Siamese cat which is meant to be the same as the original version.

Push boundaries

The point I'm making is that breeders tend to go their own way and push the boundaries of the breed standard and go beyond those boundaries which is what is happening with extreme Maine Coon cats.

Balance needed

And Debbie argues correctly that although the Maine Coon cat is meant to be balanced in terms of their various, primary features these extreme cats are losing that balance because their muzzles are enormous as are their ears. 

Ears

And the lynx tips, the tufts of hair growing out of the end of the ear flaps, are becoming longer and longer. They have become a feature on their own. Your eye is drawn to them but they're meant to be there just to elongate the ear slightly.

In the extreme Maine Coon cat or "new-style" Maine Coon cat the ear flaps are also very tall. They are no longer triangular and wide at the base, tapering to a point. They are like monuments tacked on to the top of the head of the cat reminiscent of the Washington Monument! 

The ears are becoming taller and taller and the muzzle is protruding further and further out of the cat's face like a block of concrete.

Heavy muzzle

That's what Debbie means and what I mean by losing balance. If a muzzle is very heavy and in some extreme Maine Coon cats it is, it becomes very noticeable when really all the features should be in harmony. One feature should not stand out more than the other. That is how I would interpret an appearance being in balance.

Well-proportioned

Remember, that the CFA breed standard states that the general appearance should be, "well-proportioned and balanced with no part of the cat being exaggerated".

Old-style standard?!

That is the 'old-style' standard. It happens to be the existing stand but it is becoming an old one because the breeders are unofficially writing their own breed standard.

Buying public

It appears that the public, the buying public, are driving this change. There is an enormous international demand for cats with these extreme features. This is because they are featured extensively on social media and on the internet generally. And they are appealing. People want a standout cat. They want their cats to be a status symbol. They buy these cats and breeders want to sell their cats so they create more.

Ultimately this is marketplace forces dictating the new look Maine Coon. The way they should look has become passé. The change is happening quite fast and there may come a time when the original look may no longer exists.

Popularity

Back to the Siamese cat. The original Siamese cat appearance is nowhere near as popular or as prevalent as the modern, super slender Siamese cat which is also an extreme version of the original. The same thing may happen to Maine Coons.

Selective breeding - inbreeding

But in achieving this kind of appearance, it may be that Maine Coon breeders are inbreeding their cats more than usual drifting towards a high inbreeding coefficient which produces genetic weakness and genetic diversity. 

Inbreeding depression - potential health issues

If that's true then some of these extreme cats are going to be less robust in terms of health them the old-style Maine Coons. It's called inbreeding depression which means the immune system is compromised and there are other health compromises caused by inbreeding. It is already known that bilateral hip dysplasia (and inherited hip joint problem) is worse in large Maine Coons.

There may also be some unforeseen health problems creating Maine Coons with such huge muzzles. In the dog world there is a big argument about breeding flat-faced dogs such as the French bulldog which has a foreshortened muzzle. This creates breathing issues and in the cat world, the flat-based Persian also had breathing problems because they've lost their muzzle entirely.

There seems to be an obsession actually with altering the shape of a companion animal's muzzle perhaps because it is one feature which alters the overall appearance dramatically and which can be altered through selective breeding.

Administrators

The cat fancy organisers, the cat associations, should be aware of the dangers of allowing their breeder members to go it alone.

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