Hi
Am reading up on charcoal genetics and can see that charcoal itself is apb/a. Some people are saying that to produce charcoal you need at least one charcoal cat but others seem to contradict that and say as long as the genetics are right then you can still produce charcoal?

So my question is if you have an apb/apb carrier can you then find an apb/a carrier to use and then surely there will be some apb/a (statistically) and you won't get any melanistic a/a. One site had said the charcoal gene is not as simple as this though?

I have read the pinned post but didn't know whether anyone would notice my question in there?

Thanks

Have since found out that yes two carriers can produce charcoal definitely. I find the genetics really interesting and it is great we can health test and colour test by a simple mouth swab.

Here is some genetic info about charcoals and offspring possibilities: http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/coatcolorcat.php

Thanks I don't think I had come across that site during my 'surfing.'

The charcoals had to start somewhere! Many now breed for them since they are being recognized officially as a type of bengal. It's starting to change over in the bengal pedigree website, too.

Yes they all started somewhere and now they have DNA testing people can really be sure of what is going on genetically. It's interesting stuff.

You are correct a charcoal is Apb/a, Apb is the Asian Leopard Cat agouti gene, and a is from the domestic meaning non agouti. You can also get Apb/Apb meaning that cat is a double Asian Leopard Cat agouti carrier, paired to an a/a cat (melanistic) all offspring would be charcoal :) You can then of course have brown, snow or silver cats that carry Apb or a and then if paired together you maybe lucky and produce a charcoal. Hope this helps :)