A long tail, quiet steps, and a pair of bright eyes can make a wild animal look like a cat. Check the muzzle, the markings on the tail, and how it climbs. Genets, linsangs, civets, and ringtails have their own features…
Items 28 The creator’s order
1 Cat Use a domestic cat as the baseline. A short muzzle, upright ears, long whiskers and quiet walking are familiar. Body shape is a better comparison than one coat pattern since pet cats look so different from one another. 0 2 Common genet The slim body and quiet walk can look feline until you notice the strongly ringed tail, pointed face and spots across the back. A genet’s muzzle sticks out farther than most domestic cats’, and the tail often looks especially long in profile. 0 3 Fossa (animal) A fossa has a rounded head, large eyes and the athletic outline that can suggest a small cougar. The unusually long tail and heavier muzzle show up when it turns. It belongs to a Malagasy group of carnivores and spends time both in trees and on the ground. 0 4 Ringtail A Southwestern animal often called a ringtail cat may be a ringtail, which belongs to the raccoon family. Look for big rounded ears, a narrow muzzle and a long, boldly ringed tail. The tail often seems to take up half of what you can see. 0 5 Cacomistle The cacomistle can pass for a slight cat when it crosses branches in low light. Long pointed ears and a thin, strongly banded tail give it a different profile. Its native range is in Mexico and Central America, where it spends much of its time above the ground. 0 6 Banded linsang This little Southeast Asian climber has a narrow, catlike outline. Broad dark bands that wrap across its body are much more striking than ordinary tabby marks. A thin tail and very slim neck also make the body look unusually long. 0 7 Spotted linsang Small dark spots and an arched back can suggest a miniature spotted cat, especially on a branch. The linsang’s very thin frame, narrow muzzle and long banded tail help separate it. Its spots have a different scale from the bands of the other Asian linsang. 0 8 Central African oyan Also called an African linsang, this Central African climber can look like a small, sleek cat on a branch. Its muzzle tapers sharply and its tail carries dark rings. The spots on its body contrast with the more clearly banded tail. 0 9 Cape genet This southern African genet looks like a lean spotted cat when the tail is out of view. Its longer face and large dark spots stand out in profile. The ringed tail makes the resemblance easier to sort out once it comes into view. 0 10 African palm civet From a front view in a tree, its low face and round eyes can look like a cat looking back. A pointed snout and spotted coat lead to a long tail whose coloration is more strongly marked near the base. This civet belongs to a separate branch of the catlike carnivores. 0 
CatUse a domestic cat as the baseline. A short muzzle, upright ears, long whiskers and quiet walking are familiar. Body shape is a better comparison than one coat pattern since pet cats look so different from one another.0
Common genetThe slim body and quiet walk can look feline until you notice the strongly ringed tail, pointed face and spots across the back. A genet’s muzzle sticks out farther than most domestic cats’, and the tail often looks especially long in profile.0
Fossa (animal)A fossa has a rounded head, large eyes and the athletic outline that can suggest a small cougar. The unusually long tail and heavier muzzle show up when it turns. It belongs to a Malagasy group of carnivores and spends time both in trees and on the ground.0
RingtailA Southwestern animal often called a ringtail cat may be a ringtail, which belongs to the raccoon family. Look for big rounded ears, a narrow muzzle and a long, boldly ringed tail. The tail often seems to take up half of what you can see.0
CacomistleThe cacomistle can pass for a slight cat when it crosses branches in low light. Long pointed ears and a thin, strongly banded tail give it a different profile. Its native range is in Mexico and Central America, where it spends much of its time above the ground.0
Banded linsangThis little Southeast Asian climber has a narrow, catlike outline. Broad dark bands that wrap across its body are much more striking than ordinary tabby marks. A thin tail and very slim neck also make the body look unusually long.0
Spotted linsangSmall dark spots and an arched back can suggest a miniature spotted cat, especially on a branch. The linsang’s very thin frame, narrow muzzle and long banded tail help separate it. Its spots have a different scale from the bands of the other Asian linsang.0
Central African oyanAlso called an African linsang, this Central African climber can look like a small, sleek cat on a branch. Its muzzle tapers sharply and its tail carries dark rings. The spots on its body contrast with the more clearly banded tail.0
Cape genetThis southern African genet looks like a lean spotted cat when the tail is out of view. Its longer face and large dark spots stand out in profile. The ringed tail makes the resemblance easier to sort out once it comes into view.0
African palm civetFrom a front view in a tree, its low face and round eyes can look like a cat looking back. A pointed snout and spotted coat lead to a long tail whose coloration is more strongly marked near the base. This civet belongs to a separate branch of the catlike carnivores.0