Skinned foxes, and cattle (4)
I believe the answer is:
oxen
'cattle' is the definition.
('oxen' can be a synonym of 'cattle')
'skinned foxes and' is the wordplay.
'skinned' indicates the central letters.
'and' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and').
The middle of 'foxes' is 'oxe'.
'oxe'+'n'='OXEN'
(Other definitions for oxen that I've seen before include "workers in the field?" , "Steers" , "strong animals" , "Domestic bovines" , "Large bovine animals" .)