Crossword Genius

Give false information, putting leash on a lost cat (4,6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lead astray

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

'give false information putting leash on a lost cat' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'leash on a lost cat' is the wordplay.
'leash' becomes 'lead' (synonyms).
'on' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (in a down clue, letters appear on others).
'lost cat' becomes 'stray' (stray is a kind of cat. I am not sure about the 'lost' bit.).
'lead'+'a'+'stray'='LEAD ASTRAY'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lead astray that I've seen before include "Encourage departure from the straight and narrow?" , "Seduce into wrongdoing" , "Draw into wrong course" , "Corrupt" , "Pervert" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.
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