Amazon engineer calls for Ring to be shut down permanently

[captaincranky]

One of our cats almost died 3 months ago. He stopped going to the bathroom completely. Dehydrated and constipated they had to do surgery. His potassium levels were high enough to kill a human and for 2 days we weren't sure if he would make it. Now we have to monitor his bathroom usage and make sure he is peeing large quantities, because not being able to pee a lot is the first sign when it happens again. And once this happens, it becomes a common problem. Called Cystitis

The disease, (technically AFAIK), is "polycystic kidney disease", and is more prevalent in certain breeds than others.

What you're describing is also symptomatic of "FUS", (feline urinary syndrome"), which is specific to male cats. It's due to their extremely narrow urethra, which gets blocked from, "high ash foods". "Ash", in this context is "potash", which is loosely applied to potassium salts, the most commonly known of which is "potassium nitrate", a fundamental component of gunpowder. Elemental potassium doesn't occur in nature, although you might find it in volcanic lava, and only then in a super heated flow. (That's just a wild guess).

Normally, cats suffering kidney disease, particularly FUS, often abandon using their litter anyway,

Now, using clumping litter, all you really have to do, is count and observe the size and number of clumps over "X" hours or a day. IMO, a Ring device isn't necessary to catalog the cats urination, at least if you're not going to be out of the house for more than a few hours, such as coming and going to work..

I could write pages about a neuter male ragdoll I had, who was never right, after a bout with FUS at about 5 or 6 years of age.

Kidney disease in cats is a terminal illness. It compares roughly to heart disease in humans, as a primary cause of death. We die from heart failure, they die of kidney failure. They also incur a number of secondary issues concurrent with the decline of their kidney health.

Oddly, in end stage renal failure, water intake and urine volume increases dramatically. This is termed, "polyuria & polydipsia", "PU & PD" for short.

Since you mention, "potassium levels high enough to kill a human", cats can also tolerate extremely high blood sugar levels, high enough to render a human comatose or dead. I had a diabetic Maine coon, which when tested, clocked in at 470..! Incidentally, MALE cats are most prone to diabetes, unlike humans where it occurs mostly in women. (This ties in because diabetes can ruin either species kidneys as the disease progresses

Another fun fact about cat, is that while most human medicines a quite toxic to them, both Xanax and Tramadol can be administered safely in appropriate dosages.

Here's a link to "CRF" in cats (chronic renal failure), and much more information is available on the web, including a public veterinary blog at Cornell University.

Kidney (Renal) Disease in Cats: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

This page has a detailed explanation of how we diagnose and treat kidney disease in animals, especially dogs and cats. Early detection and treatment is the key.

www.lbah.com

OK mods ,this is way off topic, but very relevant to one of our active members.

Besides, I included the term "Ring" in the text.

 

[captaincranky]

As a technology enthusiast, I cannot get behind these smart home devices. At all.

And it really concerns me how little people care about issues like this.

"Stupid is as stupid does". (Forrest Gump", I think ).

 

[CharmsD]

"Stupid is as stupid does". (Forrest Gump", I think ).

Forrest Gump wasn't stupid, he didn't have a Ring.

 

[fktech]

Nothing but good to say about my Ring Doorbell Pro once the 3rd one is finally working correctly. First 2 died and were replaced under warranty. Anyone who wants to watch my boring street is welcome to; and call the police if there is unwanted activity please.

 

[JimboJoneson]

Maybe just attach a big and clear disclaimer to the product, and then let buyers decide what matters more to them - privacy or security.

Not sure how they provide security. Having the ability to watch someone break in and ransack your home, and rape your wife or whatever, after the fact, is rather disturbing and doesn't do a damn thing to prevent it.

Increasing security is a measure like better locks and unbreakable windows, maybe a security guard? A camera does nothing to prevent any crimes - its the stupidest idea ever preying on the all too fearful American to get them to trade more money for a false alleviation of that "fear".

 

[CharmsD]

...its the stupidest idea ever preying on the all too fearful American to get them to trade more money for a false alleviation of that "fear".

Security sells through the amplification of danger. What else is there, logic?
haha

 

[Allen Lwis]

Amazon Employees for climate Justice? Just a bunch of Socialist radicals who will vote for Bernie and will riot when he loses the election.

 

[gusticles41]

Amazon Employees for climate Justice? Just a bunch of Socialist radicals who will vote for Bernie and will riot when he loses the election.

Yeah, you're not part of the political problem or anything... /s

 

[JimboJoneson]

Security sells through the amplification of danger. What else is there, logic?
haha

Incorrect. (well "correct" in the point you were trying to make, but ultimately incorrect)

Security sells through a perceived amplification of danger. An actual "amplification of danger" is at best but a small subset of that, and not at all required.

Considering that violent crime is statistically down by up to 71% from 1993 till 2018 in the US (but the trend is almost global), with the logic as you present it, one would have to conclude then that security sales are down 71% - this is not remotely true, in fact surveys say that people feel less safe than ever.

Reality is not perception, and people react to perception (whether real or not), and not to reality itself, except where it is coincidental.

The logical fallacy in "Security sells through the amplification of danger", is the built in assumption that perception = reality, which is blatantly untrue; the two are very separate things.

 

[CharmsD]

Incorrect. (well "correct" in the point you were trying to make, but ultimately incorrect)

Security sells through a perceived amplification of danger. An actual "amplification of danger" is at best but a small subset of that, and not at all required.

Are seventeen weasels in a trenchcoat perception or a reality?

Yooo gnu what I meant... Lol

Considering that violent crime is statistically down by up to 71% from 1993 till 2018 in the US (but the trend is almost global), with the logic as you present it, one would have to conclude then that security sales are down 71% - this is not remotely true, in fact surveys say that people feel less safe than ever.

Nothing says being safer actually feels safer. "The crash that kills you is the one you die in".

Reality is not perception, and people react to perception (whether real or not), and not to reality itself, except where it is coincidental.

I love that line, it's six vs half a dozen to explain "locks", if I feel like someone is going to steal my car, my best interests are served to wait until the car is stolen to buy insurance. Win!

The logical fallacy in "Security sells through the amplification of danger", is the built in assumption that perception = reality, which is blatantly untrue; the two are very separate things.

So true.

 

[JimboJoneson]

Are seventeen weasels in a trenchcoat perception or a reality?

Yooo gnu what I meant... Lol

I did, and I qualified that.

Nothing says being safer actually feels safer. "The crash that kills you is the one you die in".

“Fear doesn't prevent death. It prevents life." ― Naguib Mahfouz

I love that line, it's six vs half a dozen to explain "locks", if I feel like someone is going to steal my car, my best interests are served to wait until the car is stolen to buy insurance. Win!

Consider that the entire industry of "insurance" is just trading money for a small alleviation of the perception of fear. Human fear drives entire economies and is the sole reason why we are so incredibly manipulatable - but its built into our cultures - for exactly that purpose. The "news" isn't fear porn for no reason

 

[quadibloc]

When there are enough Ring cameras out there, and enough criminals have been put away because of them, then our neighborhoods will be safer. Nobody will be stupid enough to commit break and enters any more. That would be a good thing. There's not a shred of evidence that the Ring cameras will make it harder for people to engage in political protest or anything like that.

 

[NightAngel79]

The disease, (technically AFAIK), is "polycystic kidney disease", and is more prevalent in certain breeds than others.

What you're describing is also symptomatic of "FUS", (feline urinary syndrome"), which is specific to male cats. It's due to their extremely narrow urethra, which gets blocked from, "high ash foods". "Ash", in this context is "potash", which is loosely applied to potassium salts, the most commonly known of which is "potassium nitrate", a fundamental component of gunpowder. Elemental potassium doesn't occur in nature, although you might find it in volcanic lava, and only then in a super heated flow. (That's just a wild guess).

Normally, cats suffering kidney disease, particularly FUS, often abandon using their litter anyway,

Now, using clumping litter, all you really have to do, is count and observe the size and number of clumps over "X" hours or a day. IMO, a Ring device isn't necessary to catalog the cats urination, at least if you're not going to be out of the house for more than a few hours, such as coming and going to work..

I could write pages about a neuter male ragdoll I had, who was never right, after a bout with FUS at about 5 or 6 years of age.

Kidney disease in cats is a terminal illness. It compares roughly to heart disease in humans, as a primary cause of death. We die from heart failure, they die of kidney failure. They also incur a number of secondary issues concurrent with the decline of their kidney health.

Oddly, in end stage renal failure, water intake and urine volume increases dramatically. This is termed, "polyuria & polydipsia", "PU & PD" for short.

Since you mention, "potassium levels high enough to kill a human", cats can also tolerate extremely high blood sugar levels, high enough to render a human comatose or dead. I had a diabetic Maine coon, which when tested, clocked in at 470..! Incidentally, MALE cats are most prone to diabetes, unlike humans where it occurs mostly in women. (This ties in because diabetes can ruin either species kidneys as the disease progresses

Another fun fact about cat, is that while most human medicines a quite toxic to them, both Xanax and Tramadol can be administered safely in appropriate dosages.

Here's a link to "CRF" in cats (chronic renal failure), and much more information is available on the web, including a public veterinary blog at Cornell University.

Kidney (Renal) Disease in Cats: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

This page has a detailed explanation of how we diagnose and treat kidney disease in animals, especially dogs and cats. Early detection and treatment is the key.

www.lbah.com

OK mods ,this is way off topic, but very relevant to one of our active members.

Besides, I included the term "Ring" in the text.

Ring...


So, back to off topic. I hear you, and our issue is with 3 cats we need to know who did what. We observed him trying to go, or he'd go and when we scooped it was the size of dimes. Now, using different litters, we have been able to get him alone to primarily use the 2 boxes we have cameras pointed at.

Way Vet explained it was that there machines read potassium up to 10 (for cats) and his just read over that. All his vitals crashed and they had to recissitate him for hours apparently during what was supposed to be an easy (ish) unblocking and cathing him. Scary stuff for sure. First time it was not crystals or murcus (which is common?) and he got immediately blocked again couple days later, which was mucus and...soot?

Anyway, the *****ers never want to eat their wet food, so we got another water fountain and I'm thinking of pointing a camera at it... maybe



On Topic, lol

I like to be able to monitor my animals, and my house. Moreso outside then in, but I can't worry about what *might* be hacked. ****, FB adn Google already listen to everything you say via your phone. And I have smart speakers, so they listening to that too. It's cool, I really don't care.

 

[captaincranky]

Ring...

So, back to off topic.

Way Vet explained it was that there machines read potassium up to 10 (for cats) and his just read over that. All his vitals crashed and they had to recissitate him for hours apparently during what was supposed to be an easy (ish) unblocking and cathing him. Scary stuff for sure. First time it was not crystals or murcus (which is common?) and he got immediately blocked again couple days later, which was mucus and...soot?

What you're describing is "FUS", not "cystitus". Perhaps they share the same symptoms, but "polycystic kidney disease actually makes the kidneys "lumpy".

I experienced the same set of events with my ragdoll. The first urine test came back clear, the vet gave me a course of antibiotics for him, and told us to go our merry way. Two weeks later he was blocked up again. So, the urinary tract infection was a faulty diagnosis.

My layman's opinion is that the potassium salts are impacted, and not in solution or suspension.. After they cathed my ragsley, then the urine test came back with salts, and I'm figuring the catheter broke the stuff up enough to appear in his urine. That's the only scenario I can come up with. Either that, or the lab they were using sucks.

Anyway, the *****ers never want to eat their wet food, so we got another water fountain and I'm thinking of pointing a camera at it... maybe

Well, the "solution" to getting the potassium , and apparently magnesium as well, "into solution", is to change to "Urinary Tract Health Formula", by Purina:

Purina ONE® Urinary Tract Health Formula Cat Food | Purina

Purina ONE® urinary health cat food helps maintain the urinary health of your cat by reducing urinary pH and providing low magnesium.

www.purina.com

By "lowers PH", they mean "acidifies" the urine.

In principle, it's pretty much the same as dissolving precipitates in your Mr. Coffee, with the sulfuric acid compounds they sell

OK, I'm not a vet, and I can only share my experiences with similar events with you. Please do, ask you vet to clarify your pet's diagnosis, and any feeding advice they might give you.

However, if they start to spout "Hill's (or whomever's) prescription food", I'd go with Purina at 1/3 the price.

In any case, you can always use your "RING", to watch for Chewy.com's free (over $49.00) delivery pet foods.

I'm a cat person, so feel free to PM me anytime on the topic.

 

[PEnnn]

When there are enough Ring cameras out there, and enough criminals have been put away because of them, then our neighborhoods will be safer. Nobody will be stupid enough to commit break and enters any more. That would be a good thing. There's not a shred of evidence that the Ring cameras will make it harder for people to engage in political protest or anything like that.

There is that thing, what was its name??? Ah yes, a mask!!

Actually, there are dozens of videos (shown on the news!) where the Ring shows people stealing from cars, looking into home windows, even inside homes and they are wearing masks......and despite whatever video or Ring camera was there, that didn't deter them!

And, you do know that banks have been using videos and cameras for maybe 1/2 a century now....and yet, people are still holding up banks.

Ring has a good PR company, that's all.