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Dusseldorf (dpa) – Cats may gobble their food in seconds, but the water bowl often goes untouched. And that can be a problem: staying properly hydrated is crucial for feline health. Dry cat food contains very little water – around 7% to 10% – meaning cats need to drink extra to stay hydrated, explains the German Pet Supplies Industry Association. How much water does a cat need? A cat's daily water intake depends on its weight and level of activity. The general guideline is 50 to 60 millilitres per kilogram of body weight. For example, a 4-kilogram cat needs about 200 to 240 millilitres of water per day, which is roughly equivalent to the volume of a small glass of juice. Without enough fluid, cats can develop kidney problems or urinary tract diseases over time. How to encourage your cat to drink more 1. Offer several water bowls Place multiple bowls of water around your home so your cat always has one nearby. Keep food and water bowls separate – cats prefer their water away from their meals. 2. Let the water run Cats tend to find water in a bowl boring, but water from the tap exciting. This is because running water appeals to cats' playful instincts. When they play with the water with their paws and then lick them, they ingest fluid. It also tastes better than stale water. 3. Try a drinking fountain If you don't want to rely on the tap, you can try a drinking fountain. However, it should not hum or make other operating noises, as this can scare off cats that are sensitive to noise. Ideally, the fountain should be easy to clean and made of high-quality materials such as stainless steel or ceramic, which do not absorb unpleasant odours so quickly. With a few simple adjustments, even the most reluctant drinkers can stay healthy and hydrated. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn jub xxde mls arw

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Fancy a taco night at home? Food blogger Bianca Zapatka shares a simple roasted cauliflower filling and a creamy tahini sauce that keeps for a week in the fridge. Berlin (dpa)  – What are the must-have fillings for a taco? For many it will be carnitas or el pastor-style pork, frijoles (beans) or even nopalitos (cactus). For food blogger Bianca Zapatka, it's crispy-roasted cauliflower that everyone can fill to taste, paired with a creamy tahini sauce she says has real addictive potential. Her tip is to make extra, as the sauce keeps for up to one week in an airtight container in the fridge, and also perks up dishes such as vegan pad Thai, Thai noodle salad or summer rolls. Ingredients for six tacos For the cauliflower: 350 g cauliflower florets 1 tbsp oil (eg. rapeseed, sunflower or avocado oil) 1 tsp paprika powder 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt For the tahini sauce: Tahini (pure sesame paste) Olive oil Lime juice Sriracha or another hot chilli paste Garlic A little water and salt All quantities to taste and to the desired creaminess To serve: 1 portion tahini sauce or, alternatively, peanut sauce 6 small corn (maize) tortillas or homemade tortillas 1 romaine lettuce, chopped 1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained 1 small red onion or spring onions, or both, thinly sliced 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved 1/2 avocado, diced 1–2 jalapeños or green pepper, sliced Parsley or coriander Sesame seeds Limes Method: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (top/bottom heat) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Toss the cauliflower, oil and spices in a large mixing bowl, then spread the florets out on the prepared tray with enough space between them. Roast the cauliflower for about 15–20 minutes until tender and starting to crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.Blend all the tahini sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding a little more water if needed. Warm the tortillas in a pan for a few seconds. Top the tacos with lettuce, black beans, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes and avocado. Drizzle with tahini sauce and garnish with jalapeños, parsley or coriander, sesame seeds and lime wedges. Serve immediately and enjoy. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn jfa yyzz a1 xlt cwg nhr

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The witches of Oz are back, and the finale goes darker as Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande anchor a visually sumptuous, song-filled showdown. Does this hotly tipped sequel cast a spell strong enough for Oscar glory, or will its length test audiences’ patience? Berlin (dpa) – Billed as one of the pop culture highlights of the year, the finale of the musical film "Wicked" about the contrasting witches Elphaba and Glinda opens in cinemas with a darker, more serious tone – and is already being touted as an Oscar contender. As with last year’s first instalment, "Wicked: For Good" is again being floated as a possible Academy Awards hopeful, particularly for Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo and US superstar Ariana Grande. The sequel is gloomier and more earnest than its predecessor as events in the fantasy world of Oz come to a head. The story adapts the stage musical of the same name, itself a prequel to the 1939 cult film "The Wizard of Oz". At its core, "Wicked" circles around the friendship between the "good" witch Glinda (Grande) and green-skinned Elphaba (Erivo), who is known and hunted in Oz as the "Wicked Witch of the West." After a bumpy start at university brought them together in Part 1, the friends part ways here over a fateful decision. A political conspiracy is brewing around the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum). The land’s talking animals are losing their speech and are being imprisoned. Elphaba wants to save the animals, while Glinda remains with the Wizard and his confidante Madame Akaber (Michelle Yeoh). The people of Oz see Elphaba as a traitor threatening the entire country. Their bond, however, cannot be forgotten, and it is later tested by Prince Fiyero, played by Jonathan Bailey ("Sexiest Man Alive 2025"). As with the first film, director Jon M. Chu delivers a visually impressive piece, presenting Oz as a colourful, magical fantasy world. Many musical numbers are emotionally rousing, thanks above all to strong performances from Erivo and Grande. Both actors were already given Academy nods for the first part (best actress and best supporting actress). At more than 130 minutes, though, the film occasionally demands the audience's patience, with some passages feeling drawn out. There is, however, a reunion with familiar figures from the classic "The Wizard of Oz". To recap the original: Dorothy is swept to Oz by a storm and, with the help of a scarecrow, tin man and a lion, sets off to find the Wizard in hope of finding her way home. The costume designs for Scarecrow and Tin Man are particularly striking. It is quite possible the film could take an Oscar in this category, as was the case this year. It was also recognised for best production design. The promotional tour became a viral phenomenon in 2024, with short Instagram and TikTok clips showing Grande and Erivo in seemingly very emotional interviews. Director Chu told dpa it had been "really hard" on last year’s press tour to talk only about the first film, because he already wanted to talk about the sequel too. Both parts were shot at the same time. In some interviews, the two leads sat hand in hand, welcoming journalists’ questions and sometimes even beginning to cry, with the sequences at times feeling like a miniature staged film of their own. The following information is not intended for publication dpa sza yybb a3 cor

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Recipe book author and TV chef James Martin offers a twist on an English baking classic with a sticky toffee pudding with miso caramel and clotted cream. London (PA Media/dpa) – “There are loads of variations of sticky toffee pudding, and I love to put my own spin on it,” says British TV chef James Martin. “Miso is a brilliant savoury ingredient and when added to caramel it’s amazing, but it has to be high-quality miso!” Sticky toffee pudding with miso caramel sauce and clotted cream Ingredients: (Serves 6) 290ml boiling water 200g stoned dates 50g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 175g Demerara sugar 1 tbsp golden syrup 2 eggs, beaten 2 tbsps black treacle 200g sifted plain flour 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda For the miso caramel sauce: 200ml double cream 100g butter 100g dark muscovado sugar 3 tbsps black treacle 2 tbsps golden syrup 2 tbsps white miso paste To serve: clotted cream Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160ºC fan. Grease a 20 centimetre square, five centimetre-deep cake tin and line it with baking parchment. 2. Pour the boiling water over the dates in a bowl and leave to sit for five minutes, then blitz until smooth and pour back into the bowl. 3. In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale, then fold in the syrup, eggs, treacle, flour and vanilla until smooth and combined. 4. Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the blitzed dates, then mix into the pudding batter. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until springy to the touch. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out onto a plate to serve. 5. Meanwhile, to make the toffee sauce, put all the ingredients into a pan and bring gently to the boil, stirring until blended, then take off the heat. 6. To serve, cut squares of the pudding, spoon over the toffee sauce and top each portion with a dollop of clotted cream. The following information is not intended for publication pa dpa coh

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Europeans keen on strawberries in winter usually need to rely on crops imported from the Middle East with a significant carbon footprint. However LED tech may soon enable growers to continue supplying local produce through the winter. London (PA Media/dpa) – Consumers in the UK are set to see fresh British-grown strawberries widely available this Christmas after a firm extended the season to 12 months with new technology. The Summer Berry Company, one of the UK’s leading fruit producers, is now growing British strawberries at a commercial scale all year round with the help of LED technology through the colder months. The investment reduces the site’s reliance on fossil fuels, with the system using a mix of renewable heat and power, LED lighting and energy storage to recreate spring conditions indoors. The firm installed a combined heat and power (CHP) plant on the farm which burns gas to generate electricity, which in turn powers 2,600 LED units which create artificial sunlight, giving plants the impression that it is April, rather than December. In the greenhouse, the LEDs hang above the rows of plants to aid photosynthesis during the darkest months, and fans in the LED units then blow heat produced by the lights down towards the crop, further reducing its energy use. The greenhouses are heated to between 18C and 22C throughout the winter. The development marks a major shift for the industry, which has traditionally relied on imports between November and March. The new technology means the British company – and potentially others abroad – can now supply fresh strawberries to retailers 365 days a year while cutting food miles from Middle East imports, which have historically fulfilled consumer demand during the winter. As a result, the industry is expecting to produce fruit over winter of higher quality than typical Egyptian or Spanish imports while potentially cutting around 400 tonnes brought in from overseas. The Summer Berry Company said it was on track to double volumes previously grown in winter to just over 400 tonnes in the current 2025 to 2026 season. The growing area has also doubled, expanding from 1.8 hectares to 3.6 hectares. “Typically, the demand for winter strawberries has been fulfilled by flying them in from countries like Egypt and Jordan but we believe our new technology provides a far superior-tasting fruit which is less energy intensive to grow at our farm in West Sussex,” Bartosz Pinkosz, UK operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said. The following information is not intended for publication pa dpa coh

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Berlin (dpa) – Lamb's lettuce, those small winter-hardy jumbles of leaves that are great as garnish and on sandwiches, is now in peak season in much of Europe. Lamb’s lettuce sold in shops is generally pre-washed, but you may still find some grains of dirt on it. You might be tempted to rinse it under a tap, but farmers in Germany are urging people not to do this. The fine leaves are highly sensitive to pressure, and the impact of a running tap will quickly turn their soft crunch into mushiness. The Rhineland farmers’ association in Germany says instead you should remove any dirt by swishing the trimmed leaves around in a bowl of cold water. Eat fast (with goat's cheese) Anyone wanting to store fresh lamb’s lettuce — which should be firm and deep green when bought — can keep it in the fridge for one to two days. Because the leaves wilt quickly, put them in a plastic bag or a lidded container or wrap them in a damp kitchen towel. It is best eaten straight away, for example with some baked goat’s cheese, topped with toasted walnuts or hazelnuts and pomegranate seeds. A classic vinaigrette of vinegar and oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, a spoon of mustard and fresh herbs, goes well with it. Add the dressing only shortly before serving. Lamb’s lettuce also makes the base of a great spread. You just blend the leaves with a little garlic, walnuts or pumpkin seeds, Parmesan and olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper — and it is ready to serve. Wash all heads of lettuce In contrast to lamb's lettuce, heads of lettuce like iceberg can be washed under the tap – in fact, it's best to do so, even if you think the inner leaves are clean. There may be pesticide residues that you can at least partially remove by rinsing the leaves. To be on the safe side, you should also wash the leaves of organic varieties. Another tip: It's best to rinse the lettuce leaves whole and only chop them up afterwards. When you break up the leaves, the cell fluids containing vitamins and minerals are released and you don't want to wind up rinsing these down the drain. Incidentally, tearing lettuce leaves rather than chopping them after you wash them also helps prevent the release of plant fluids as the leaf splits along the veins when you tear it, meaning fewer cells are damaged. Resuscitate with a water bath You do not need to throw out lettuce at the first sign of wilted leaves. Instead, you can try reviving it by putting it in a water bath. Just fill a bowl with water, making sure it's not too cold, and put in the leaves. After a short while, they will have soaked up the water and should be a little crunchier again. This trick also works with stalks of herbs. Simply cut off the ends a little and put them in a glass or vase filled with water, as you would with flowers to keep them fresh, and they should be as good as new in a short while. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn bac yyzz n1 tsn

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Anno now has diagonal roads. If that alone hasn't already blown your mind and convinced you to get the latest in this cult strategy series, there's something else this game offers: a massive amount of freedom. Berlin (dpa) – It borders on a revolution in the Anno series. One of the first things fans learned about the new "Anno 117: Pax Romana" is that diagonal roads and paths can now be drawn on the square grid where players place their buildings. What might not sound like a particularly significant change has actually caused quite a stir. As always in this series, everything begins on an island. The flagship is docked in the harbour and some building materials have been loaded. From then on, players are in charge of building and managing their own Roman empire. "Anno 117" does exactly what you'd expect from the successful series in many ways. The first thing you need is a lumberjack. The wood is used to build houses, which allow you to reach the first, lowest population tier. The inhabitants of these houses naturally have needs that must be met. Initially, these are food and clothing. But at this point, the game does things quite differently from its predecessors. You have the choice of how you fulfill those needs. For food, you can either catch fish, grow oats for porridge — or both. There are also different options for producing clothing. Each fulfilled need brings different benefits: for example, increased happiness, higher income or a larger population. But only one specific option is needed to reach the next population level, from which new buildings, resources and production chains develop. Choose your region According to developer Ubisoft Blue Byte, freedom was a key element in the game's development. This includes the choice of region. At launch, the Mediterranean region of Latium and the Celtic region of Albion are available. Players can freely choose which of the two regions they want to start in — beyond the campaign, which always begins in Latium. They are also free to decide whether or not to expand into another region at all. This makes the development paths more open than in its predecessor, "Anno 1800." In the Celtic region, the question of how the occupiers treat the local population is also intriguing. Will the Celts be Romanised, their swamps drained and Roman temples built? Or are they allowed to retain their customs? Furthermore, the behaviour of a non-player character, modelled after the military leader Boudicca, influences the natives’ attitude towards the invaders — and whether they will attack them. The Emperor's favour is also important. Depending on the player's choices in certain quests or through specific actions, their reputation at the Roman court rises or falls. A good relationship, for example, makes the colonisation of new islands easier. If the player becomes too rebellious, the Emperor will send troops. Prepare for battles Also returning to the series are land armies and their corresponding battles. Legionaries, archers, and siege weapons can be trained to defend the islands and the Praetor's villa. However, according to the development studio, this gameplay element is also optional. The result is an "Anno" game based on the "anything goes" principle. Players set their own goals — outside of the story campaign — and work towards them. These goals can be achieved in various ways. What the latest instalment aims to avoid is the pressure to take a specific major step to progress. But at its core, "Anno 117: Pax Romana" remains a very good "Anno" title: building and managing production chains, transporting and trading goods by ship, colonizing further islands and expanding the population to the wealthiest levels. And there's plenty of freedom to design your main island not only functionally but also beautifully, with ornaments, plazas and Roman statues. This is underscored by an impressive visual presentation that remains bustling even at the lowest zoom level. Even those who don't think about the Roman Empire a lot will find "Anno 117" to be a superb, long-lasting, and comprehensive city-building strategy game that ranks among the best in the genre. The game is available for PCs and Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 consoles and costs from €60/$60. The following information is not intended for publication dpa/tmn wck yyzz a3 bzl av tsn pmc

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Can you teach an invisible dog new tricks? A bizarre trend that started in Germany sees people taking a dog for a walk on a leash – but without the actual dog. Local trainer Barbara Gerlinger, admits it's "a little crazy," but is also dead serious about the concept. Stuttgart, Germany (dpa) – Taking a dog for a walk – without the dog? Believe it or not, an emerging pastime called "hobby dogging" is a new leisure activity for animal lovers in Germany who don't want the vet bills, hairy carpets, drooling or expensive vet fees. There is also no need to pick up the poo, deal with aggressive behaviour or barking when leaving your pet at home. As might be expected, it has been met with much head-shaking, scepticism and ridicule online. After all, the dog only exists in the walker's imagination. Hobby dogging – essentially dog training without dogs – follows in the wake of "hobby horsing," a previous trend that saw children (and a surprising number of adults) gallop through obstacle courses on stick horses. It sounds like some viral prank generated by AI, but it is surprisingly true (and truly surprising). In Bad Friedrichshall, north of wealthy southern Germany's car capital of Stuttgart, you can even get professional guidance in walking your imaginary dog. Disbelief and contempt The comments on the internet are equally scathing. "Whatever they've been smoking, I want some," writes one user. Some respond with humour: "I took the dog's harness off and now I can't find him." Others share their disbelief and contempt: "The world is getting crazier and crazier." Dog trainer Barbara Gerlinger simply shrugs at the ridicule. She takes her job seriously and designs her own courses for "hobby dogging", complete with cones, obstacles and a good dose of imagination. "Hop! Hop! Hop," calls the 65-year-old as her participants jump over small poles with reinforced leashes. The participants pat the air at their feet, reaching into their pockets for imaginary treats. "Good! Well done!" You can almost hear the imaginary panting. Gerlinger made the leashes herself, designed to look like someone is walking an invisible dog. "It's a little crazy," she admits. "But what isn't crazy? We live in a crazy world." The idea for hobby dogging came about on a whim in a local clubhouse. A passing joke, a quick laugh – but the thought stayed with Gerlinger. Her philosophy? The problem is never the dog. That's always at the other end of the leash. It's about mental training, about concentration. Dry run before the real dog Sometimes, the dog trainer complains, people doing dog training just don't listen to her. But when there are imaginary dogs, you are less distracted, she says. If you just imagine the dog, you are forced to pay attention to yourself – to your posture, your voice, your body tension. "It's quite exhausting to concentrate for 20 minutes on something that isn't there." For Gerlinger, it's also a good form of preparation for dog handlers – before real paws enter the course. The 65-year-old posted a few videos online with her son – and they went viral. One of her clips has almost 5 million views. Her story has even spread to the United States and Japan, noting that the craziness of the endeavour has spread. "They're not all clean anymore," she laughs, handing out dogless leashes to the participants. "You have a Rottweiler, take a bigger harness," she says. Just the leash and a little imagination "Good girl, my princess," says Anette Hilkert, praising an imaginary Chantal at the end of her leash. The female boxer has just sat down next to her. "I don't just talk to the leash. The invisible dog should have a name," the 61-year-old explains. Chantal was also the name of her deceased dog. For Hilkert, walking an empty leash and harness around the grounds makes perfect sense. With Chantal, she can practise dry runs before putting Mottchen, her real dog, on the leash. No mistakes, no stress – just the leash and a little imagination. Meanwhile, Mottchen waits patiently a few metres away in the boot of a car – whether he's wagging his tail in approval or shaking his head in disbelief remains unclear. The following information is not intended for publication dpa poi xxde mew coh

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