The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word GENET
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
G
E
N
E
T
More clues leading to the result GENET
- Courteous man entertaining English author
- Author presenting information concerned with outer space
- Twig catching coat of nimble cat-like creature
- Fellow penning English? He wrote in another language
- DNA unit takes time to find cat-like creature
- Man eating tail of marine carnivore
- 10 for example will reject fur
- Albee’s finale appropriated by fellow playwright
- French writer mapped item by time
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "cat-like creature" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cat-like creature = genet.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does GENET mean?
GENET noun- Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta in the family Viverridae, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.
- The fur of this mammal, or any skin dressed in imitation of it.
- A group of genetically identical individuals (plants, fungi, bacteria etc.) that have grown in a given location, all originating from asexual reproduction of a single ancestor; a group of ramets.
- A small-sized, well-proportioned, Spanish horse; a jennet.