Perception unreal, oddly vacating shelter (6)
I believe the answer is:
kennel
'shelter' is the definition.
(kenneling is a kind of sheltering)
'perception unreal oddly' is the wordplay.
'perception' becomes 'ken' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'oddly' means one should take alternating letters (letters in the odd-numbered positions are used).
The alternating letters of 'unreal' are 'nel'.
'ken'+'nel'='KENNEL'
'vacating' acts as a link.
This may not be right. It may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for kennel that I've seen before include "Home for the dog" , "boxer's corner?" , "Dog shelter" , "A dog's home, usually outside house" , "Dog house" .)