Charcoals are one of the unique traits coming down generationally from the Asian Leopard Cat yet it still has yet to be defined and/or separated by most all of the Cat Clubs.    As of 2016, TICA's bengal breed committee is considering writing a standard for charcoals but yet may choose to leave Melanistic out of this section.      Since the two are so closely tied together (you need a melanistic agouti allele in order to produce a "Midnight" Charcoal), it would be a missed opportunity to write them at the same time.      After all -  The Melanistic Allele influences almost all cat colors -  even if they are just carriers of this trait!    (See Glaze, Sparrow and Stormy on my various websites)

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I'm drawn to this style because of that connected ancestry -  and, also because of their beauty.    The whited eye around an almost black/charcoal cat is just magnificent!