PETS

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Dr Pauline answers your cat queries this month

Dr. Pauline Pets Central veterinarian

My cat loves exploring our garden. What can I do to prevent her from bringing germs into the house?

The only way to truly do this would be to stop your cat going out into your garden. Pet cats can get anxiety issues and things we can do to reduce stress in our pets should be supported. If she really needs time out of your house to express her natural predatory instincts, it’s important to keep her anxiety levels down. Enclosing cats in confined environments can lead to some life threatening medical problems and behavior issues.

You are probably as likely as your cat to bring garden germs into your home so my advice would be simple. As long as you have a happy healthy normally behaving cat and enforce good home cleaning and disinfection, and brush/groom your cat regularly then you don’t need to worry about the germs.

My cat keeps waking me up for food in the middle of the night. I don’t feed her but she keeps doing it. How can I get her out of that habit?

If this was my cat, I’d make sure she had some food in her bowl at bedtime. If it’s only food she wants, you could try a food delivery toy set to go off during the night and deposit some food around your house to keep her amused as well as fed. This would be much easier than trying to break a habit.

I’ve heard of people trying to shut cats out of their bedroom but that doesn’t work because the cats will then just scratch the bedroom door and continue to wake their human ‘provider’. Couples have split up due to arguing about their cat, or abandoned their cat to save the relationship. It’s true to say that cats have a different internal body clock to humans. They eat, sleep and play at different times, so it may not be food your cat wants. It may be time to play or hunt and your cat looks to you for these needs in her environment.

Got a question for Dr. Pauline? Email editorial@hongkongliving.com

Walkies Pinewood Battery Heritage Trail

Lung Fu Shan Country Park is both the newest and the smallest country park in Hong Kong covering just 47 hectares. Within the park you’ll find The Pinewood Battery Heritage Trail. Roughly just 400 metres long, this walk is perfect for those looking for a relaxing stroll with their pooch. Begin the short hike at the entrance of Picnic Area Site No.1 on Hatton Road, stroll alongside relics of the Pinewood Battery, a military fort built in 1903 and later converted into an air defense battery in the 1920’s. The fort is now under preservation but there is still plenty for pooches to sniff out along the way and you’re sure to enjoy taking in the history. A picnic site awaits you for a leisurely lunch before you head back the way you came.

How to get there: Walk uphill along Hatton Road for about 1.5 km until you will reach the beginning of the trail at Picnic Area Site No.1.

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