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Cat with nine tails and domestic dog? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

whippet

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'domestic dog?' is the definition.
(whippet is a kind of domestic dog)

'cat with nine tails' is the wordplay.
'cat' becomes 'whip' (cat o' nine tails or cat is a type of whip).
'with nine tails' becomes 'pet' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'whip'+'pet'='WHIPPET'

'and' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for whippet that I've seen before include "Racing-dog" , "Greyhound relative" , "Small greyhound-type dog" , "Fast runner" , "Dog similar to a greyhound" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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