Cat Immune System Diseases

General signs of ill health such as fever fatigue muscle weakness diarrhea and vomiting can occur.

Cat immune system diseases.

A weak immune system in cats as well as other species is caused by a deficiency in a type of white blood cell called phagocytes. And who is in control of our kitties immune system health. This makes the cat susceptible to various secondary infections. The damage done and resulting symptoms depend on which tissue is targeted.

Autoimmune disease in cats is one where antibodies or white blood cells are created and work against the body. These phagocyte cells are an essential part of the immune system as they engulf foreign invaders contaminating the blood a process known in the veterinary world as phagocytosis. About autoimmune disease in cats. The symptoms depend on which organs the disorder affects.

Felv weakens an animal s immune system and predisposes cats to a variety of infections and diseases including anemia kidney disease and lymphosarcoma a highly malignant and fatal cancer of the lymph system. Young kittens and cats less than one year of age are most susceptible to the virus. One such disease in cats is called systemic lupus erythematosus. A disease is immune mediated when your cat s immune system responds in a unregulated way for example mistakenly identifies harmless materials as foreign invaders.

Systemic autoimmune disease sad also known as systemic lupus erythematosus sle affects the cat rsquo s immune system such that it attacks its own cells. It is a complex interconnected system of white blood cells antibodies and other substances that are released to combat infections and eliminate foreign proteins. Type iii immune disorders commonly cause inflammation in vital organs your cat s kidneys brain lungs or skin. You might also find that your cat is thirsty all the time.

Autoimmune diseases are the result of an immune system that has become hyper defensive. Pemphigus genetic predisposition exposure to sunlight certain drugs such as cimetidine and ampicillin and a history of chronic inflammatory disease are all possible causes. For example if red blood cells are attacked the cat becomes weak due to anemia from lack of blood cells. On recognition of a foreign invasion the system releases antibodies which chemically bind.

Learn more about this autoimmune disease its symptoms and treatments in cats here. The immune system in cats with autoimmune disorders produces antibodies against the cat s own tissues autoantibodies which leads to their destruction. Although the virus is slow acting a cat s immune system is severely weakened once the disease takes hold. This happens as a result of an imbalanced immune system.

Cats who are infected with feline immunodeficiency virus fiv may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection occurred.