Injury to cats tail

Question
We care for a number of cats.  One is a semi-feral who grew up here outside but rarely allowed me to pet him.
A couple of weeks ago, he left for a couple of days.  He came back with a tail injury.  Some of the fur was missing, there was dried blood, and his tail was dropped.  I would say it was a couple of inches from his rump.  You could see in his face that he wasn't well.  I put 2 homeopathic remedies on his food was he was around: lachesis for infection and arnica for swelling.  Then he took off again for a few days before reappearing last night.  Gave him the lachesis, again, but his tail is no better.  In fact, more fur seems to be off.  He had a hearty appetite, though.  What can you suggest?  When other semi-ferals were injured, I would be able to throw some diluted peroxide on the area, but this one is terribly skittish, and I'm afraid he won't come back.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Wendy,

Your doing a great job!! It sounds like it was a scuffle with another kitty, and that you are able to get the supplements into him. I have seen ferals die of infection as well, and gangrenous tissue take over a cat's body from an abscess. If one is unable to administer proper supplements many holistic vets use antibiotics as a last resort.  Best to keep in mind early treatment is best treatment. I am holistic to the core and have saved my clients thousands of dollars in vet bills of which there are testimonials, however I do keep in mind safety and accessibility of animals and the fact that you stated feral (semi) made me tailor my response. I thought how could you administer supplements if he is untouchable and how could you clean infection if he is unwashable. So I have given an honest opinion. Again, some animals get over this themselves and with your help you guy is definitely lucky! But due to fact you couldn't touch him i was wondering how could homeopathics be properly administered. You did a great job! some of the experts here are selling a product of which they get a commission i am not.
You separated him so this was good, I wasnt aware of his accessibility as it seemed he kept taking off so I was answering to that as if he takes off with 105 fever for a few days and it elevates 1 or 2 degrees that could result in brain damage.
Also signs of fever is not eating.
I also wasnt alerted the question went to the pool and had NO IDEA when it was posted! If you  emailed me directly I would of answered immediately. Sorry for the delay! I now see it was one month ago! Clearly, my response would of been tailored, so my if info is outdated, as he would not still be feverish although i am concerned it hasnt healed up yet.
my sites are: www.thenatureofthebeast.org
             http://agentprovaCATeursDOGgeddetermination.blogspot.com/
Careful, with too much lyseine, this is of course used for herpes, but upsets the arginine/lyseine balance in the body. As you might know, bladder infections also show a propensity for arginine imbalance so it should only be used as needed not like many people use daily. there are long term repercussions to supplements if used all the time. In holistic and Chinese medicine there are very small amounts of herbs and supplements meant to be used long term.
The fact that more hair was missing and placement could perhaps be sign of abscess, is it swollen?
He could be lethargic and feverish from elevated temperature and white blood cell count.
If you are unable to wash with a betadyne solution and apply calendula since his is skittish at this point the infection might need an antibiotic, is there a pharmacy you can get it compounded so it tastes like liver, beef, fish?
Some animals can overcome bite/fight wounds easily but if tissue starts to get necrotic then the tissue needs to be surgically removed as it is dead skin and spreads.
Before it becomes blackened i would opt for antibiotics. If caught early enough and cleansed which you cannot do with him then alternative therapies are fine. we must remember animals just like people can die from infection, and necrotic dead tissue travels which is obviously very bad. There is a time to reach for western meds.
To prescribe a homeopathic remedy we would need to know what stage the swelling is in,
I would also mix vitamin c in with chicken broth but you would need to administer this 3x's per day if possible. Vit C can give soft stool so around 200 mg. This will help his immunity.
Because you are able to see him, and the stage of his injury look up silicea, and purple cone flower.
The issue with homeopathics is they should not be taken with food or water 15 min before or after eating. They should also not be touched with the human hand. So if you are mixing in his food, i am not quite sure the remedy will be effective.
Best of luck, thank you for caring for him.
Sometimes with ferals, best mode of action, is optimal diet, which for me is home cooked feline specific although i know that is impossible for many to keep their immune system healthy and with an abscess sometimes we need to think about compounding an antibiotic. You can also then mix probiotics in the food to offset the effects of antibiotics.

Shanti