Stray Cats on the Open Prairie
One Cat's Story of Healing
by Dianna Medea

When I moved into my house three years ago I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the stray cats that happened to come into my yard, so I began to leave out dry food and water. When I saw a stray coming on the deck I would put out canned food or raw meat. Last fall when the cold weather was fast approaching I set up both a heat lamp and an insulated box complete with a fleece blanket in the garage; the strays gained access through a hole my brother cut in the garage door.

A Deep Neck Wound

One male cat, quite thin, with white, grey, and brown spots and a tabby stripe, had visited my deck a few times the previous spring. At the end of June he showed up with a large deep wound on the right side of his neck, about two inches in diameter, obviously a bite of some kind. What to do? As a nurse I recognized the seriousness of the wound and doubted the cat’s survival. On the other hand, if I called the Humane Society, it would be a sure death for the cat, being feral and all. So I grabbed my trusted homeopathic Arnica 200C remedy and put a dose in his food. I know that isn’t the proper way to administer homeopathic remedies but I had no other option. A remedy should be dissolved under the tongue with nothing to eat or drink for one half-hour before and after taking it, but this cat ran when he saw me, so putting it in the food was my only choice.

The Cat Came Back

Yes, the very next day, the cat came back and got more Arnica; in fact, he got one to two doses over the next five days. Arnica is the first-aid remedy we turn to for any soft tissue injury where there is pain, swelling, and bleeding with subsequent bruising, along with the admonishment of, “stay away, don’t touch it!” Because the cat began to visit more regularly, I took advantage of those opportunities and moved on to giving him Hypericum 200C, once a day for three days, when I saw him ever so gingerly trying to scratch his neck, imagining how painful that deep wound must have been. Also known as St. John’s Wort, Hypericum is the homeopathic specific for excruciating nerve pain, such as when your finger gets crushed in a door or hammered. A few days later I considered the six inch trail of debris—skin, hair, leaves, who knows what—attached to the edge of the wound, so I gave him one dose of Silica 200C, which is used to help expel foreign bodies. Then I waited. The next time I saw him some of it had fallen off.

The last week in July, this cat showed up minus all of the debris and, while he ate, I got a good look at what I was working with. The wound was red, raw, and angry, which I felt was inevitable for such a large wound amidst unsanitary living conditions, however it looked fairly healthy, moist, and without infection. I gave him Calendula 200C once a day for five days. One day he ate the remedy and left the food! On the third day I thought the wound looked smaller. Calendula, or marigold, brings wound edges together. On August 2nd the wound was almost closed except for three small areas which were darker in colour and his fur was even growing back. I was astonished, first of all, that the cat survived, secondly, that the wound did not get infected, and thirdly, that the wound even healed.

The Power of Homeopathic Remedies

The cats that come to my deck amaze me. When they are ailing they get the indicated remedy and then they start showing up quite regularly. Yes, they come for the waiting food and safety of my yard, but I believe they also come because they realize that they feel better when they hang out here. And they also become a little less wild and tolerate me being a bit closer.

I love homeopathy. As a classical homeopathic practitioner, awaiting certification, I welcome these occasional little nudges, such as the above story, that demonstrate the miracle of homeopathy and reinforce, for me, that I have found my calling.

Simply translated, homeopathy means, “similar suffering,” in that a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person will cure those very same symptoms in someone who is ill with them. For instance, when we peel an onion, our eyes water and our nose runs; in homeopathy, “Allium Cepa,” or onion, is a remedy often given for the watery eyes and nasal discharge accompanying the common cold.

Homeopathic remedies are incredibly valuable in the first-aid treatment of burns, bruises, strains, insect bites, etc., and are an effective adjunct to conventional medical treatment, as with a broken limb, by hastening the healing process and with less pain. Most importantly, homeopathy has the greatest potential to cure deep-seated chronic ailments for which conventional medicine has little to offer, other than controlling symptoms through drugs. Homeopathy has been practiced for over 200 years and, in its current renaissance, is emerging as a legitimate, effective, non-toxic, and (w)holistic healing approach to health and disease. Often referred to as, “the medicine of the 21st century,” its power to help people is as close to miraculous as you can get in medical therapeutics.

Some of my stray cats did not survive the past cruel winter, including the star of this story, while others did and with most of their ears still intact. I continue to have a few old faces and several new ones who show up, so I urge everyone to spay and neuter their cats and show compassion to the homeless among us. May cat hair ever adorn your clothing and may the vital force be with you.

Dianna Medea practices classical homeopathy in Weyburn, as well as in Regina at the Cathedral Centre for Health, 3500 - 13th Avenue. She graduated from the Northwestern Academy of Homeopathy in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and is certified with the Council for Homeopathic Certification. She also worked for many years as a registered nurse. Call (306) 842-1065 for information or appointments, Monday through Saturday.