Animal could be Cat in the Hat ? (11)
I believe the answer is:
deerstalker
'the hat ?' is the definition.
(deerstalker is a kind of hat )
'animal could be' is the wordplay.
'animal' becomes 'deer' (deer is a type of animal).
'could be' becomes 'stalker' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'deer'+'stalker'='DEERSTALKER'
'cat in' is the link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for deerstalker that I've seen before include "Soft cloth cap; hunter" , "Hunter's hat" , "Soft cloth hat" , "Hunting cap" , "Holmes's headgear" .)