Whole piece of meat cat nibbled around (6)
I believe the answer is:
intact
'whole' is the definition.
('intact' can be similar in meaning to 'whole')
'of meat cat nibbled around' is the wordplay.
'of' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'around' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'tcatni' can be found hidden inside 'meat cat nibbled'.
'tcatni' backwards is 'INTACT'.
'piece' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for intact that I've seen before include "without flaw?" , "Undamaged, not broken" , "Entire and complete" , "All in one piece" , "Entire and whole" .)