The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word TORTOISESHELL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
T
O
R
T
O
I
S
E
S
H
E
L
L
More clues leading to the result TORTOISESHELL
- Ghastly shirt let loose, yellowish-brown
- Cat getting little horse so agitated
- Cat left after session in toilet or potty
- Hoteliers lost straying cat
- Where naughty reptiles go when they pass … their home?
- Cat litter’s loose blends keeping hot
- Mottled cat‘s a nightmare for slow animal?
- Cat that’s a slow mover’s worst nightmare?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "cat" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cat = tortoiseshell.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 TORTOISESHELL mean?
TORTOISESHELL noun- The horny, translucent, mottled covering of the carapace of the hawksbill turtle, used as a veneer etc.
- The hawksbill turtle.
- A domestic cat (or a rabbit, guinea-pig, etc.) whose fur has black, brown and yellow markings.
- Any of several butterflies, mostly of the genera Nymphalis and Aglais that have similar markings.
- Made of the covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.
- Having markings resembling covering of carapace of hawksbill turtle.