Big cat's claw quietly removed (5)

I believe the answer is:

ounce

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'big cat's' is the definition.
(ounce is a kind of big cat)

I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.

(Other definitions for ounce that I've seen before include "one of several in a pound" , "Atom" , "Wild cat - small weight" , "One-sixteenth of pound" , "one of a number in the pound" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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