Crossword Genius

Bird feline has found hard to eat (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

chat

'bird' is the definition.
(chat is a kind of bird)

'feline has found hard to eat' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'hard' could be 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications) and 'h' is found in the answer.
'feline' could be 'cat' (cat is a kind of feline) and 'cat' is found within the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

(Other definitions for chat that I've seen before include "Natter" , "tittle-tattle" , "Exchange text or voice messages through a computer" , "Talk informally; bird" , "waffle?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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