The genetha appears in some medieval encyclopedias. It is slightly larger than a fox and has a color between black and crimson, with occasional black spots arranged in an orderly manner on the skin. It is quite tame, unless it has been injured by other beasts. It does not climb to high places but walks among the low places and near streams, and there it begs for food when it is hungry.

This may be, as Edward Topsel believed, the Genet; the general description fits.