Transfer Factors for Pets -- Your Cat's Health Booster

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.

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.

Like people, dogs, and monkeys, cats are mammals. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Dietary supplements are available for your cat, combining the immune balancing power of transfer factors with nutrients that are beneficial to the overall well-being of your cat.

There are a number of veterinarians using homeopathic techniques, and some have added products containing transfer factor to their recommendations. If you're interested in boosting the immune system of your cat with transfer factors, check first to ensure your vet is open to the idea, and that there are no negative interactions.

About the Author

Author Kurt Schmitt has created a website for cat lovers and writes about using transfer factor for pets as a possible solution to cat health issues. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.