Charcoal Bengal Cat Genetics. The charcoal bengal cat is really special, because just like the bengal cat breed, he owes his existence to both the domestic cat and the asian leopard. The charcoal test also makes it possible to detect a very rare allele, named a2.
The charcoal test also makes it possible to detect a very rare allele, named a2. The cat lacks any pattern therefor is a solid color. It has been theorized that it may be caused by an intermediate agouti gene—some are calling a1.
Recessive alleles need two copies to be “seen”.
Here are some examples of cats and kittens that look similar as charcoal bengals, but have not bred true or have dna tested to not have proper genetics to be true charcoals. While this gene is covered in the book robinson's genetics for cat breeders and vetrinarians it is not throughly examined in bengals. The current charcoal bengal study is researching to find the gene(s) responsible for charcoal. The cat lacks any pattern therefor is a solid color.