Hi Bex. Tuberculosis vaccines contain live mycoplasma (at least those given to humans). There is growing evidence that mycoplasma are behind autoimmune diseases and other diseases as well, including thyroid diseases. By compromising the immune system with vaccines, your cat could well have ended up in that state.
Mycoplasma are hard to kill directly with some drugs, and some just treat mycoplasma by enhancing the immune system with vitamines etc., which is the same we do here. At this point it would be perhaps too optimistic to assume one is getting away with all this only with candida. Although some claim that mercury causes autoimmune disorders, this is only indirectly, there is no logic behind your body attacking mercury. There is, however, if you consider mycoplasma, as they are stealthy, being different from normal bacterias in the way they are able to invade host cells without killing them. Therefore, only mycoplasma can cause autoimmune disorders of the various pathogens, not even viruses can do that. Since mercury lowers immunity, you can also get mycoplasma infections easier. There is even one page that mentions "cat's claw" as one of the best to support immune system against mycoplasma. This should sound familiar.