The Night Cat That Isn’t a Cat
Don’t let the mask and the fur fool you—the African Civet is not a cat, not a dog, and not a mongoose. It’s something entirely its own: a solitary, sharp-nosed scavenger that rules the bush after dark and leaves a musky trail wherever it goes.
With a grey body covered in black spots and stripes, a black facial mask, and a long, low profile, civets look like a cross between a leopard, a raccoon, and a mystery. They are nocturnal and incredibly elusive, seen mostly on trail cams or as a flash of movement under a full moon.
The Smell That Stuck
Civets are most famous for civetone—a strong-smelling, musky secretion from glands near the tail once used in high-end perfumes. Yes, your grandmother’s Chanel may have had a hint of civet bum in it.
Luckily for the civet, modern perfumes now use synthetic civetone—but the animal still leaves a powerful trail on territorial paths and scent posts across your land.
Diet? Pretty Much Everything.
Civets are:
- Omnivores, eating insects, fruit, rodents, birds, eggs, carrion, and even venomous snakes
- Opportunistic feeders, meaning if it’s edible, they’ll try it
- Strong scavengers, often following predator kills and helping clean up the veld
While not a threat to large game, they will target small mammals and nestlings, making them part of the predator control conversation on well-stocked farms.
What Landowners Should Know
- Non-huntable and protected in most provinces
- Help maintain a balanced rodent and insect population
- Presence indicates healthy ecosystems and good cover
- Often confused with genet or mongoose in low light—look for size and tail thickness
If you find distinctive latrine sites with strong scent and mixed scat—it’s probably a civet.
