[10] The species were superficially cat or wolverine-like, with a flexible body 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, and short limbs.

Oxyaenids may have evolved in North or Central America, and tended to have long bodies and tails with short legs.

Because of their shape, early studies often compared them to cats, but this body form has evolved many times in small to medium-sized forest-dwelling predators and mixed feeders, such as viverrids, mustelids, and procyonids.

Early studies disagreed on whether they were walking, climbing, or swimming animals; more recent work suggests that like modern raccoons, they may have been able to climb trees, swim, and make a living on the ground, but were not highly specialized in any direction.

[13] Oxyaena species had a similar size range as modern otters, so they would have hunted small to medium-sized prey, as well as eating some other foods such as insects, crustaceans, and fruit.