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Transfer Factors and Your Cat's Health

by: KurtSchmitt
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In the last few years, a number of supplementation products designed to boost your cat's health have been created. Many veterinarians are recommending those that contain a little known immune boosting component called transfer factors. If your cat is in poor health from a long term chronic illness, or is in a weakened condition due to an immune system disorder, injury, or other ailment, many veterinarians are recommending these products.

What are transfer factors? Transfer factors are small protein molecules that are part of the immune system. In order to get a handle on the concept, it's necessary to understand a bit about the immune system.

Cats, like all mammals, have an immune system that protects them from disease.

The immune system mounts an immune response when the body recognizes and attacks foreign invaders, such as bacteria. The body has specialized cells that attack the invaders and destroy them. Once the threat is eliminated, the attack stops.

Sometimes, however, things don't go quite right with the immune response. For example, in cats with certain conditions, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the immune system is compromised and has trouble defending the cat's body against invaders. This is the feline version of HIV-AIDS, and causes the immune system to under perform.

In other cases, the immune system is misdirected and doesn't shut itself off when it should. In autoimmune diseases, such as many forms of arthritis, an immune response is mounted against the body's own tissues.

How do transfer factors work? Transfer factors act as messengers, alerting your cat's body to the presence of foreign invaders. These proteins also modulate an overactive immune system. Essentially, they call the immune system to action, and then call off the attack at the appropriate time.

The balancing or modulating effect that transfer factors have make them essential to proper immune system function. This means that they can be used on cats with compromised immune systems, as well as those with autoimmune diseases like arthritis.

Specific products are now available for your pet, including a version for cats, that contain transfer factors. This is a dietary supplement for your cat, combining the immune boosting power of transfer factor with nutrients that are beneficial to overall cat health.

You should check with your veterinarian before adding any supplements to your cat's diet. If you're interested in boosting the immune system of your cat with transfer factors, check with your veterinarian first to make sure there are no problems with it.

About the Author

Author Kurt Schmitt has created an online resource for cat lovers and writes about using transfer factor for pets as a possible solution to boost the immune system of your cat

Transfer Factors and Your Cat's Health

About the Author

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