Help me identify this animal i saw last night?

Last night i saw an animal that i cannot identify, it had a ringed tail, looked to be about 2 feet tall at the shoulders, weighing anywhere from 30-45 lbs if i had to guess. It galloped kinda sorta when it ran. Kinda looked like a cat but was definitely not and was to big to be one, it wasn't a dog. I'm familiar with most of the wildlife in my area (Raleigh, NC) and this did not look indigenous to my area. I've been online looking for a while trying to identify it. It looked like it might have been a nocturnal tree dweller. Maybe something that you would see in Australia. If anyone has any guesses on what it might be I would love your input.