A polecat is not a cat at all.
Polecat is the common name for various weasel-like animals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, minks, and otters.
Varieties of this creature include: the European polecat; the mashed, or steppe, polecat of Asia; the marbled polecat of Eurasia; and the zorilla, or African polecat.
In the United States, skunks are often referred to as polecats.