palm civet vs civet cat

palm civet and civet cat both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
palm civet	Yes	No	No	No
civet cat	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, civet cat is a hypernym of palm civet; that is, civet cat is a word with a broader meaning than palm civet:

palm civet: spotted or striped arboreal civet of southeast Asia and East Indies
civet cat: cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes

Other hypernyms of palm civet include civet.

palm civet (noun)	civet cat (noun)
spotted or striped arboreal civet of southeast Asia and East Indies	cat-like mammal typically secreting musk used in perfumes
	raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings