Crossword Genius

Caught sight of, like leopards and cheetahs (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

spotted

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

'caught' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)

'sight of like leopards and cheetahs' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'sight' could be 'spot' (spotting is a kind of sighting) and 'spot' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ted' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for spotted that I've seen before include "As Dick may be" , "Saw; mottled" , "Espied" , "Noticed" , "Seen; saw" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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