Transfer Factors and Your Cat's Health

There are a number of supplementation products designed to enhance your cat's health. One such product contains an immune boosting component known as transfer factors. If your cat is in ill health from an immune system disorder, a long term chronic illness, or is in a weakened state due to a recent surgery or injury, many veterinarians are saying these products may help.

In order to understand how this works, it's necessary to understand a little about how the immune system works. Transfer factors are protein molecules and are part of the immune system.

All mammals, including cats and humans, have an immune system that protects their bodies from illness.

In a healthy immune system, the body recognizes and attacks foreign invaders, such as bacteria or fungi. This is known as an immune response. Specialized cells attack the invaders and destroy them, and then the attack is called off.

On occasion, the immune response doesn't play out as expected. A cat with a compromised immune system has trouble defending against invaders and will more easily become ill. In conditions such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), the immune system is weakened and doesn't cope well.

In other cases, the immune system doesn't know when to shut down, or incorrectly identifies a part of the body as foreign. In autoimmune diseases, such as many forms of arthritis, an immune response is mounted against the body's own tissues. The immune system is misdirected and doesn't shut itself off. In effect, the body is at war with itself.

Transfer factors act as messengers, alerting your cat's body to the presence of foreign invaders. These proteins also have a modulating effect and tell the body when not to attack.

Since transfer factors have a balancing effect on the body, they can be used on cats with weakened immune systems, as well as those with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid 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.

Some veterinarians are open to the idea of adding supplements to your cat's diet, and some are not. There are a number of vets using homeopathic remedies, and some have added products containing transfer factor to their line up. If you're interested in boosting the immune system of your cat with transfer factors, check with your veterinarian first before doing so.

Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com

Author Kurt Schmitt has created an online resource for cat lovers and writes about using transfer factors as a possible solution to cat health issues Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

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