The ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) is a mammal of the raccoon family, native to North America. It is also known as the ringtail cat, ring-taile cat or miner's cat, and is sometimes mistakenly called a civet cat, which is a different species. The ringtail is sometimes called a cacomistle, though this term seems to be more often used to refer to Bassariscus sumichrasti (also known as Jentinkia sumichrasti).