cat's-paw vs assistant

cat's-paw and assistant both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cat's-paw	Yes	No	No	No
assistant	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, assistant is a hypernym of cat's-paw; that is, assistant is a word with a broader meaning than cat's-paw:

cat's-paw: a person used by another to gain an end
assistant: a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

Other hypernyms of cat's-paw include help, helper, supporter.

cat's-paw (noun)	assistant (noun)
a hitch in the middle of rope that has two eyes into which tackle can be hooked	a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
a person used by another to gain an end

cat's-paw (adjective)	assistant (adjective)
	of or relating to a person who is subordinate to another