Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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ChatGPT image description: A fluffy orange cat sits on a kitchen floor, squinting and wrinkling its nose in clear disgust at a stainless steel water bowl filled with cloudy, debris-laden water. The cat’s expression conveys strong refusal, as if judging the water unfit to drink.

896. Not Washing a Cats Water Bowl for a Week

March 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from not washing a pets water bowl for a week.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • How Often Should You Wash Dog Bowls for Food and Water?
  • Clean the Germiest Home Items | NSF
  • Pet feeding habits and the microbiological contamination of dog food bowls: effect of feed type, cleaning method and bowl material - PubMed
  • Survey evaluation of dog owners’ feeding practices and dog bowls’ hygiene assessment in domestic settings | PLOS One
March 02, 2026 /Don Schaffner
Cats, Pets, Dogs, Water, Cross-contamination

DALL·E - A man wearing a Canadian flag shirt sitting in a café, eating a cookie. Across the table from him is a large cat, looking hungrily at the cookie.

645. Eating at the Toe Beans Cat Cafe

July 24, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating at the Toe Beans Cat Cafe (that's in Canada).

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Bob and Doug McKenzie - Wikipedia
  • O Canada - Wikipedia
  • Toe Beans Cat Cafe - Eat, Drink, Adopt, Repeat
  • Food | Toe Beans Cat Cafe - Eat, Drink, Adopt, Repeat
  • Zoonotic Disease: What Can I Catch from My Cat? | Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
  • cat - Risky or Not?
  • Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
  • Merch — Risky or Not?
July 24, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Cats, Restaurant
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115. Cats in the Kitchen

March 05, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of cats in the kitchen (and the silver spoon).
Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Cat's in the Cradle - Wikipedia
  • Sources of toxoplasma infection in pregnant women: European multicentre case-control studyCommentary: Congenital toxoplasmosis—further thought for food | The BMJ
  • Risk factors for acute toxoplasmosis in England and Wales | Epidemiology & Infection | Cambridge Core
  • Ranking the Risks: The 10 Pathogen-Food Combinations With the Greatest Burden on Public Health
  • Occurrence of Campylobacter jejuni in Pets Living with Human Patients Infected with C. jejuni
  • The Public Health Laboratory Service national case-control study of primary indigenous sporadic cases of campylobacter infection.
March 05, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Cats, Kitchen

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