Can you tell me if your state requires mandatory tooth samples at fish and game for otter and cats?

Montana yes lower jaw intact.
And better be clean and dry.

Nevada requires the lower jaw of bobcats. Not otters

Skulls only for cats and otters in Michigan

Whole skinned carcass for otter in Indiana. Bobcat still not legal even though they are thick in the many parts of the state.

Ohio wants the carcass of otters.

Optional for otters in Illinois to send lower jaw to SIU, not sure on the bobcats as I haven't drawn a tag. I did catch an otter and a few cats across the river in KY, and I believe it was optional as well. But I'm sure you'd know about that

What is the purpose of this?

Age information and other data

Very early in our cat seasons, around the mid eighties, they wanted the whole cat carcass. I’ve been catching them since 1984 here and there’s, I believe, more cats than fox. Most definitely gray fox. I’ve been on many small streams around the state in the last 30 years and there’s definitely more otter too. I suppose since they’re CITES species they really have to have data to make any changes.

Massac,
There’s discussion of making jaw submission mandatory.

Canines for otters here in ks

Lower canine for Fisher, Marten, and Otter. Lateral incisor for cats as well as a tissue sample here in Maine.

lower jaw mandatory on bobcats in Oregon, Idaho has started wanting them but not made it mandatory. Idaho will give you five dollars a jaw if you turn them in. Wyoming will also take them if you offer them but it isn't mandatory and they don't pay for them. Years ago Wyoming did have it mandatory, but changed it probably twenty years ago now, Oregon has been mandatory for as long as I remember and I've been to their main office and seen them dump buckets of them in the dumpster. So while they may do age tests etc. on some of them, they don't do so on all of them. But you absolutely aren't getting a cites tag without a lower jaw. Idaho also requires a tooth from wolves but nothing from otter, except you have to give drainage, unit and sex info when you get it tagged.

Neither is mandatory in TN

Mn has "rules".

Overpaid folks that get it "WRONG " a big majority of the time.

Bear teeth aging.

Otter and bobcat skulls are valuable. When f&g takes a jaw, they've just taken some value of the animal you just worked for.

What Dean said. Once you lose that lower jaw a nice, complete skull becomes a craft grade skull and will only bring about 1/4 what it would have, sometimes less.