Bat flying up past a cat (5)
I believe the answer is:
tabby
'a cat' is the definition.
(I know that tabby is a type of cat)
'bat flying up past' is the wordplay.
'flying' indicates an anagram (letters fly around into new positions).
'up past' becomes 'by' (as in years gone by. I am not sure about the 'up' bit.).
'bat' is an anagram of 'tab'.
'tab'+'by'='TABBY'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for tabby that I've seen before include "Brownish cat with dark streaks" , "Mottled and striped grey or brownish cat" , "Grey-brown cat" , "Domestic cat" , "Cat with striped markings" .)