Crossword Genius

Cat licking toes or its nether regions (8-5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tortoise-shell

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

'cat' is the definition.
(I have seen 'Mottled cat' mean 'tortoise shell' so perhaps 'cat' could also mean 'tortoise shell')

'licking toes or its nether regions' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'or' is found in the answer.
'regions' could be 'hell' (I have seen 'Infernal regions' mean 'hell' so perhaps 'regions' could also mean 'hell') and 'hell' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for tortoise-shell that I've seen before include "Sort of cat or butterfly" , "Butterfly - yellow-brown mottled material" , "Mottled plated ornamental substance" , "Breed of cat; butterfly" , "Domestic cat mottled in brownish-yellow and black" .)

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