Various
animals go by “cat” names but aren’t related to cats at all. Skunks are sometimes called “polecats,” while in
Europe the “polecat” is a creature related to the weasel, but neither “polecat” is a true cat. Civets and genets are animals related to the mongooses, and you will hear people speak of “genet cats” and “civet cats,” but neither is a cat belonging to the family Felidae.
