Pet food placed next to Douglas's cat? (8)
I believe the answer is:
canoodle
'pet' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'food placed next to douglas's cat?' is the wordplay.
'food' becomes 'noodle' (noodle is a kind of food**).
'placed next to' says to put letters next to each other.
'douglas's cat?' becomes 'ca' (tailless cat - no final letter).
'noodle' after 'ca' is 'CANOODLE'.
(Other definitions for canoodle that I've seen before include "Smooch" , "Fondle" , "Pet" , "spoon" , "Hug and kiss" .)