Crossword Genius

Gorilla, say, caged dog and it's hunger (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

appetite

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

'hunger' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'gorilla say caged dog and it's' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'dog' could be 'pet' (dogs are often kept as pets) and 'pet' is found within the answer.
'it' could be 't' (abbreviation. e.g. in 'tis) and 't' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'apie' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for appetite that I've seen before include "'Strong desire, craving (8)'" , "Physical desire as for food" , "enthusiasm" , "desire to take courses" , "Natural desire to satisfy a need" .)

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