Complex sentence: A recent phylogeny places it as a basal feloid, the superfamily that includes mongooses, civets, hyenas, and cats; however, some sources show it as a felid and a direct ancestor of cats.
Split into simpler sentences: A recent phylogeny places it as a basal feloid, the superfamily that includes mongooses, civets, hyenas, and cats. Other evidence relates it more as a felid and a direct ancestor of cats.