Wild cat, lithe and strong (8)
I believe the answer is:
athletic
'strong' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'wild cat lithe' is the wordplay.
'wild' is an anagram indicator.
'cat'+'lithe'='catlithe'
'catlithe' with letters rearranged gives 'ATHLETIC'.
'and' is the link.
(Other definitions for athletic that I've seen before include "Active and fit for sport etc" , "Good at running and jumping" , "Strong and active, good at sports" , "Lusty" , "Sporting, vigorous" .)