Crossword Genius

Spattered, the cat ran for shelter (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

splashed

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

'spattered' is the definition.
(I know that spattered can be written as splashed)

'cat ran for shelter' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'cat' could be 'lash' (I've seen this before) and 'lash' is found within the answer.
'ran' could be 'sped' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'sped' is located in the remaining letters.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for splashed that I've seen before include "made waves" , "Spattered" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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