I read somewhere that hyena are cats, not dogs.
They are more closely related to cats than dogs, but they are more dog-like.
They are classified within their own family, neither Felidae nor Canidae.
Hyena are felids that evolved to fill the canid niche in Africa where canids arrived much later.
There are two clades: the bone-crushing clade which are scavengers and cursorial hunters and the dog-like clade which were more akin to canid endurance hunters.
The bone-crushing clade was more successful and all extant modern hyena species belong to it. The dog-like clade became largely extinct. Only survivor is the aardwolf.
They are their own species which also includes the aardwolf. They do hunt in the same manner as canines; however, they resemble radical feminists more than anything else.
The females are in charge with inherited status. An alpha female produces alpha females. A female hyena cub/pup is higher in status than all of the other members of the pack, including any male adult. Much like Disney princesses who no longer require rescuing by mere males.