Aloe vera could help cat’s wounds

Question: As an avid reader of your articles, I have learned a lot about cats, and kindly ask for your advice again.

A concerned neighbor caught an injured cat sometime in June, and took her to the Magnolia Veterinary Clinic in Delray Beach. She’d been injured for some time before she was caught. She seemed to be feral, and was badly mauled, most likely by a raccoon or large dog. She had two deep wounds on one side of her body, and one eye had to be removed. While under a doctor’s care, she was spayed and tested positive for herpes.

When I heard about this in October, the cat had been locked up at the vet’s for four months (!) and I was told her healing process was stunted, most likely due to the stressful environment. The cat was terrified of dogs. So far, the caring people at the veterinary clinic have been treating her pro bono.

Within days of hearing about this cat, I located a loving and caring lady, who fostered her for one month and took her to the doctor twice a week to change the bandage around her middle. Her demeanor became much better, being in a loving, peaceful foster home. I soon found another angel, a lady who adopted this special-needs cat.

The problem is that her wounds are still not healing properly. So far, there is no explanation. All tests (and they did plenty) came back negative. For some reason, the vet says the two wounds cannot be sewn up.

Last week, there seemed to be some small progress on the smaller laceration, but no change on the larger one. She still has her bandage changed twice a week by the veterinarian.

Have you ever heard of anything like this? What else can be done? It has been months now, and the wounds have not healed.— F.W., Delray Beach

Answer: I thought that aloe vera gel from Warren labs in Abbott, Texas (www. warrenlabsaloe.com) might help this poor cat. I consulted with veterinarian Dr. Bruce Ferguson of Reddick, Florida, who’d alerted me years ago to the benefits of this herbal product. He writes to me:

“Yes, I love the Warren Labs aloe vera gel product. It is anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-neoplastic, immune-modulating, and promotes epithelial genesis. And, when applied topically to a fastidious creature such as a cat, who will no doubt groom the aloe off its body and ingest it, it is safe to ingest. Give it a go!”