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I think I'm a rescue freak. I can't bear to see an animal in need. I don't care what animal it is, I'll help them all. However, cats seem to have their own way of finding me. Once two stray cats turned up on my doorstep, the day after I had moved in. I think they have good bush telegraph. Or maybe I was a cat in a past life... Catching abandoned animals can be tricky, though. Some years ago, I adopted a very frightened young cat. Before she had properly settled in, she managed to escape from the house and luckily, ran up a nearby tree. I HAD to retrieve her as otherwise she would run feral, not knowing where home was. I knew I was in for a hard time. Happily the tree wasn't very high and a short step ladder was sufficient to get myself to her level. Then the fun started. She kept backing herself further and further down a narrow branch, until she could go no further. By now, she was really frightened. I made a grab for her. She fought and bit and scratched, but I managed to hang on. Somehow we made it back to the house and she bolted to hide under a bed. Well, she was safe, if traumatised. I'll deal with her later. How about me? My arms and hands were covered in deep scratches and bite marks which were beginning to become sore and swell up. I found my bottle of homoeopathic Ledum and started dosing myself. Within a couple of doses a few minutes apart, I could feel the pain ebbing away. A few more doses and there was really only the marks left, the swelling having gone down. A few days later and they were gone too. How I wished I had known of this remedy some years earlier when I was in a similar situation. Then, my hands and arms were swollen and very sore for over two weeks. The most obvious problem in such a situation, apart from the pain and swelling, is the risk of infection. Because the remedy had worked quickly on the immediate symptoms (the pain and swelling), I knew it would prevent any infection, and it did. Ledum is a great acute remedy for any puncture wound. This can be from a cat bite (or any other animal), a splinter, a shard of glass, a vaccination, a rusty nail, a poisonous spider or snake bite. They're all puncture wounds. I routinely give parents and pet owners Ledum to take before and after they have their child or pet vaccinated. This helps with any swelling and limits the harm. If Ledum is given quickly after a bite, it will prevent an abscess. Abscesses are common in cats who fight other cats, or in cats who hunt. A quirky keynote of Ledum is that they are cold, but feel better for cold applications. Heat aggravates the situation. So if the area of the bite feels relief from cold applications (we're not talking about the numbing effect of ice here), Ledum is the first remedy to use. If the remedy doesn't help the acute symptoms (pain and swelling), then infection could set in. If relief is obtained from the remedy, it will also stop infection, even tetanus. So it's important to keep an eye on this. The homeopathic remedy Ledum is available from homeopaths, homeopathic pharmacies, health shops and now even some chemists. It is in any homoeopathic first aid kit. Written by Madeleine Innocent. Do you want to learn more about natural health, in particular homeopathy? Check out my free ebook An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies, by clicking on the website link below. Good Health Naturally
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