How To Strengthen The Immune System Of Cats?
Felines are animals that get stressed easily and often develop ailments as a result. For example, due to stress, diseases that they already carry and directly affect the immune system can occur. In this article, we will look at how to strengthen the immune system of cats.
The immune system is made up of a number of organs, such as the lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, or liver, that make or store immune cells such as white blood cells, antibodies, and other substances that slow the proliferation of bacteria and viruses. They also retain and eliminate toxic substances.
Therefore, keeping the immune system healthy is essential for a cat’s life. When the immune system fails to perform its functions, as in the case of some viral diseases, the cat becomes ill and can even die. That is why it is important to strengthen the immune system of cats.
Diseases affecting the immune system of cats
Some conditions cause damage directly to the immune system, while others are aggravated when, for other reasons, this system does not work as it should.
Feline immunodeficiency virus
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus or FIV is a disease caused by a virus from the retrovirus family. It is not known how the virus affects a cat’s immune system, only the ratio of two types of lymphocytes, CD4 + lymphocytes, varies. and the CD8 +.
After the infection there is a phase in which the cat shows symptoms common to any viral infection, such as fever, vomiting or diarrhea. After this period, the cat can remain a carrier without showing any signs of symptoms for up to four years.
After this period, symptoms very similar to those of AIDS begin to appear in humans and, if the animal survives, it will suffer from secondary infections of the internal organs, until death.
Feline leukemia virus
Feline leukemia virus or FeLV causes the appearance of neoplasms or tumors and suppresses the activity of the bone marrow and the immune system in general. This greatly reduces the cat’s defensive ability. The symptomatology of this disease is extremely varied, but usually all patients develop tumors of different types.
Feline infectious peritonitis
Feline infectious peritonitis is caused by a feline coronavirus (CoVF). This virus primarily affects the gut, causing diarrhea and other derived symptoms.
However, for some unknown reason, the virus appears to mutate and enter certain cells of the immune system, such as macrophages and monocytes, which spread the virus throughout the body and create a systemic disease that ends the cat’s life in less than a year. month or in 24 hours.
Tips for strengthening the immune system of cats
Although there are diseases that directly affect a cat’s immune system, it is possible to control some factors to prevent it from malfunctioning.
Good quality food
Feeding the cat raw meat or home cooked food would be ideal. However, sometimes the price of this diet and the time it takes doesn’t make the task any easier. Therefore, you can also feed your cat good quality canned food.
To do this, it is important to read the ingredients carefully and make sure that they do not contain additives or preservatives.
Remember that the appearance of the food does not matter, as you can create foods that look like a piece of meat but are not. On the other hand, it is best to look at the analytical components and choose foods that have a good percentage of antioxidants, amino acids and omega-3s.
Food supplements
If your cat is already suffering from an illness or is older, it may be helpful to get him to take food supplements. There are various types, according to the needs of the cat. Furthermore, during certain times of the year, such as winter, their use can be very positive for health in general.
If possible, do not vaccinate the cat
If your cat does not go out and is not in contact with other animals, vaccination may not be necessary. However, this is a decision that should be left to a veterinarian.
On many occasions, cats develop tumors in the area where the vaccine was injected. However, even if you do not vaccinate it, it is important to have it checked by your vet periodically, at least once a year.
Prevent the cat from suffering from obesity
As with humans, obesity can create health and immune problems in cats. So it is worthwhile to let him live in a rich and stimulating environment, where he can play and stay active.
If you have the opportunity, you might also consider having more than one cat, to have them play with each other. Either way, it is important to control food doses and maintain strict body weight control.
Reducing stress helps strengthen the immune system of cats
As we said at the beginning of the article, stress is the cat’s worst enemy. Felines are extremely sensitive animals that spend much of the day on alert.
Changes in the house, being touched too much, loud noises, the absence of the owner, as well as other factors, can cause stress in the cat. This condition will worsen the health of the animal and even cause illnesses that have lain dormant.
