Crossword Genius

Emotionally releasing two animals I caught (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

cathartic

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

'emotionally releasing' is the definition.
'cathartic' can be an answer for 'releasing' (synonyms). I'm unsure of the 'emotionally' bit.

'two animals i caught' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'i' could be 'a' and 'a' is found in the answer.
'caught' could be 'ct' and 'ct' is found within the remaining letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for cathartic that I've seen before include "Cleansing - purifying" , "Releasing pent-up emotions" , "Cleansing - arctic hat (anag)" , "providing a release" , "Purgative" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times and The Sunday Times.
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