Throws small felines around (5)
I believe the answer is:
casts
'throws' is the definition.
('cast' can be a synonym of 'throw')
'small felines around' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'felines' becomes 'cats' (cat is a kind of feline).
'around' indicates putting letters inside.
's' inserted inside 'cats' is 'CASTS'.
(Other definitions for casts that I've seen before include "groups of actors" , "Allocates parts" , "Throws" , "Eg puts" , "Assigns an actor to a role" .)