Fluorescent Light Energy in Feline Surgical and Traumatic Wounds: A Prospective Single‐Arm Pilot Study of Healing Progression and Bacterial Findings

BACKGROUND: Traumatic and surgical wounds are common in cats, but their management is often challenging due to anatomical factors, delayed presentation, behavioural issues and frequent bacterial colonization. OBJECTIVES: This prospective, single-arm study aimed to evaluate feasibility and tolerance, and to describe changes in TIME wound scores and bacterial findings during a standardized FLE protocol in cats with surgical or traumatic skin lesions. FLE's potential had been shown in dogs but was previously unexplored in feline wound care. METHODS: A total of 17 cats with various skin lesions were included in the trial. Each cat received three weekly FLE sessions. Before each session (T0, T1 and T2), skin swabs were collected for microbiological analysis. No systemic or topical antibiotics were administered. Wound healing was assessed using the TIME (tissue, inflammation, moisture and epithelialization) scoring system at baseline (T0), Day 7 (T1) and Day 14 (T2). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements in all TIME parameters (p < 0.01) were observed. The composite wound score decreased by 73% from baseline. At T2, 82% of cats had no necrotic tissue, 65% showed complete inflammation resolution, and epithelialization had improved in 41% of cases. While multidrug-resistant bacteria were found in 41% of cases, their presence did not prevent healing, and five cats achieved negative bacteriological results. No adverse effects were observed. This pilot study suggests that FLE is a feasible and well-tolerated strategy in cats with surgical or traumatic wounds, with consistent improvement in TIME scores observed over the study period. Controlled studies are needed to determine comparative efficacy.