Patriofelis was a large, cat-like oxyaenid

Oxyaenidae

Oxyaenidae is a family of the extinct order Creodonta; it contains three subfamilies comprising ten genera. The placement of a fourth subfamily, Machaeroidinae, is unsure; it may belong here or in Hyaenodontidae....

 creodont of middle Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...

, some 45 million years ago in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. It was around 1.2 to 1.8 m (3.9 to 5.9 ft) long, not including the tail, making it around the same size as a modern panther. It had short legs with broad feet, suggesting that it may have been a poor runner, but a quite good swimmer. As its close relative Oxyaena

Oxyaena

Oxyaena is an extinct genus of extinct creodont mammal from the latest Paleocene to early Eocene of North America . The species were superficially cat or wolverine-like, with a flexible body long, and short limbs.Oxyaena had a broad, low skull Oxyaena ("Sharp" or "Drawn-out" + hyena) is an...

 was a reasonably good climber, it is possible Patriofelis could climb as well (Robbins 2006). It is found in particular at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in Wheeler and Grant counties in east-central Oregon. Located within the John Day River basin and managed by the National Park Service, the park is known for its well-preserved layers of fossil plants and mammals that lived in the...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

.