Crossword Genius

It hangs from the roof of a cave like a curly cat's tail and starts to tear (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

stalactite

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

'it hangs from the roof of a cave like a curly' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'cat's tail and starts to tear' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
an anagram of 'cat' is 'act' which is within the answer.
an anagram of 'tail' is 'tali' which is located in the left over letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for stalactite that I've seen before include "Icicle-like accumulation of mineral deposits" , "Cave deposit" , "Hanger-on" , "bit of cave?" , "underground rock" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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