@TeaLovingDave It's a ringtail. I have heard the terms used interchangeably and I thought they were the same animal. However your post made me look it up just now and I see the cacomistle is a closely related species found farther south.
Agreed. When I first moved to Tucson (over two decades ago) I did a moonlight tram ride in Sabino Canyon, a scenic natural area in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains. On the way back the driver pointed out a ringtail on the side of the road. That was the first time I had heard of this animal and the only time I have seen one in the wild.
I almost saw a wild one a couple years ago with former ZooChatter Jbnbsn99 on a Saturday night opening at Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. We had just finished a late dinner and were on our way out when a couple said they just saw one in the patio of the cafe. We rushed back there and looked all over but didn't see it.