Do Alexa devices affect cats and dogs?

[emkay 10,193]

On 07/03/2023, 11:56:02, fraufruit said:

 

I don't carry mine everywhere and keep it turned off when not in use.

I hardly ever use my mobile. People seem to think this strange. Even if I go out, I take it with me though only switch it on if I need it. 

[keith2011 2,648]

1 hour ago, clickety6 said:

It sounds as if the Alexa may be emitting high frequency sounds, possibly via the speaker, that are too high for you to hear but not for a cat or dog.

 

Most likely a subliminal message suggesting you don't decline Amazon Prime.

[franklan 6,029]

On 6.3.2023, 14:24:48, emkay said:

Our cat has been a little unwell recently….generally unsettled, slightly distressed. Our vet couldn’t find any obvious reason. My UK vet friend said that he had heard of similar cases with cats and dogs and there’s a suspicion that Alexa devices or similar may be affecting pets due to their frequency. Has anyone else experienced this with their pets? Or, could it be a very unlikely cause of pet distress? I’ve unplugged our Alexa and, our cat seems calmer….coincidence maybe?

 

You might want to read this:  The science behind ultrasonic motion sensing for Echo - Amazon Science

 

Some Amazon Echo have a feature to detect the presence of people in the room by ultra sonic sound (and checking the microphones for signs of a doppler effect caused by the motion of said people). And that might be a royal PITE (Pain In The Ear) for your cat.

 

If you're echo device supports this technology, it might be a remedy (for the cat) to simply switch off the feature "Motion detection" in the Amazon Echo App. 

 

The following text is copied from the internet explaining how to switch this feature on. You certainly might want to try the opposite. 

How do I get Echo to detect motion?

 

 

Open the Alexa app, tap the Devices tab, tap Echo & Alexa, tap an Echo speaker, then tap the Settings icon in the top-right corner of the screen. You'll see a Motion Detection setting under the General heading if the speaker supports the feature. Tap it, then tap the toggle to enable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fraufruit 42,165]

4 minutes ago, franklan said:

If you're echo device supports this technology, it might be a remedy (for the cat) to simply switch off the feature "Motion detection" in the Amazon Echo App.

 

I think she prefers the current remedy - getting rid of Alexa. I doubt she will share your info with her hubby.

 

 

It is interesting, though.

[Chelski 1,480]

2 hours ago, keith2011 said:

 

Most likely a subliminal message suggesting you don't decline Amazon Prime.

 

Possibly.

 

Elsewhere, there's a proven solution (found in your kitchen draw) for pet-owners and pets, who wish to adopt safety measures to combat ultrasonic interference attempts from govermental, and/or private sector actors.

 

 

 

[franklan 6,029]

2 hours ago, fraufruit said:

I think she prefers the current remedy - getting rid of Alexa. I doubt she will share your info with her hubby.

 

Affirmative, as a hubby not considering a key factor (concerning technical gadgets) called WAF* will very likely yield that result.

 

* WAF

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LeonG 14,810]

14 hours ago, kiplette said:

Oh, that's brought back a little shiver from the past - one of yours took out a restraining notice against another which would have prevented her from using her own kitchen, if I remember rightly, and then maybe something about a fire deliberately set outside?

 

Those kind of neighbours by rights should come with an off-switch, for sure 

 

Nah, my neighbours are awesome.  Never a dull moment around here.  The one that I mentioned who said that her husband stops snoring if she turns off the wifi is actually the very same that got the restraining order filed against her and whose garden ended up on fire, however that happened. 

 

She actually got arrested in January.  I asked her husband where she was after not seeing her in a while and found out that she spent a couple of days in jail until they figured she might benefit more if she went to a mental health reha.  I took her husband to visit her, something wrong with his car I think, he doesn't speak much German.  She told me she got 55 days for unpaid fines.  After visiting, she's phoned me a couple of times to tell me that she's getting out and that I should come and pick her up but double checking with the hospital, they said nope, not happening.  If she got 55 days she should be getting out in about a week.

 

The neighbour who filed for the restraining order ended up moving out in October or November.

 

[kiplette 8,712]

Never a dull moment for sure