Crossword Genius

Slow-moving creatures torment mottled cat (13)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

tortoiseshell

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

'cat' is the definition.
(tortoiseshell is a kind of cat)

'slow-moving creatures torment mottled' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'torment' could be 'hell' and 'hell' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'tortoises' 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 tortoiseshell that I've seen before include "Mottled plated ornamental substance" , "Butterfly - yellow-brown mottled material" , "Domestic cat - or little shoes (anag)" , "Domestic cat mottled in brownish-yellow and black" , "The case of the slow-moving" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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