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Article: The feline immune system: a delicate balance: though meant to protect your cat, the mechanisms of immunity can also go awry.(DISEASE)
- Article from:
- Cat Watch
- Article date:
- July 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Whether your cat is wide awake or sleeping soundly, its immune system remains on full alert, protecting the animal from assault by the viruses, bacteria and other foreign invaders--called antigens--in its environment. And in the vast majority of cats, the immune system will continue to function effectively--without letup--from the day an animal is born until the day it dies.
For the unlucky few, however, a disorder will arise at some stage of life that seriously compromises the system's ability to combat threats from outside invaders. It is also possible for an animal's immune system to become confused and start to attack its own cells and tissues as if they ...