As a cat owner, do you have any experience with respect to your cat being given Metacam for arthritis, or for some other requirement for pain relief (i.e. post operative)? It appears to be a controversial drug with some variation from country to country, and vet to vet, regarding safe dosage, with some dissent from aggrieved cat owners who say that their cat was killed by either a single shot of Metacam or its long term use. I respect the views of these cat caretakers. They probably know more about the drug and its negative effects than some veterinarians.
Metacam is the trade name for meloxicam. It is an anti-inflammatory. It is recommended by a good number of vets for the relief of arthritic pain. It seems to have replaced the use of corticosteroids.

It would appear that the higher maximum dosage allowed in an injection in the USA (0.3 mg/kg) compared to Canada (0.2 mg/kg) has resulted in more fatalities from its use in that country.
In America, there is (or was) a warning on the box:
Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer additional doses of injectable or oral meloxicam to cats.
The problem over its use concerns cases where a cat’s kidneys have been damaged by the drug resulting in renal failure and death. Despite the warning, some vets prescribe its use beyond the recommendations. It is an effective drug, perhaps the most effective for treatment of arthritis. Arthritis is probably on the increase as cat obesity is also on the increase.
Vets are aware that it needs to be used carefully. It seems that cats with existing kidney disease are at risk of being hurt by this drug. Vets will do a blood test and urinalysis to check for kidney function before prescribing it.
The problem is that there appears to be widespread differences of opinion by vets and cat owners on its use and safety. As to long term use, which is required for control of arthritic pain, using drops (an oral suspension) on food seems to be the safest and most effective way to administer it.
One vet, in order to address the injection dosage limit problem, decided to inject 0.1 mg/kg which is one third of the safe maximum in America.
Because of the controversy surrounding this drug for use on cats it may be wise to go the more traditional routes to treat cat arthritis:
- Weight loss
- Exercise
- Glucosamine
- Anti-inflammatory vitamin supplements
Should Metacam only be used as a last resort? No seems to be the response. It appears that it cannot be used on cats with any sort of kidney disease. However, even then, some vets administer it without problems.
Conclusion
My conclusion, having read about this on the internet and a book written by Elizabeth Hodgkins DVM (Your Cat), is that it is effective and generally safe but as is the case for all drugs there may be side effects and it may harm (rarely) some individual cats. The big question is, what is the risk? I don’t think we know the answer to that important question. I believe a cat owner needs information about risk (percentage of cats injured/killed). Pending some clarification It needs to be used with care.
Perhaps someone can clarify the current situation regarding its use.
Bless you. I feel for you and your beautiful friend. Oh, I feel bad reading your comment. I can feel the pain. The best of luck. It takes time to get over these things. A long time.
My beautiful friend and Bengal died a few days ago from this noxious drug (metacam). I wish I had done some research. He was prescribed it following a vicious dog attack. We were trying to save his hind leg. In the end he died from severely ulcerated stomach, and possibly renal function loss). We were never told of the risks and trusted the vet (new one as our vet clinic wasn’t open when we needed it). We saw several vets at this clinic and it was only after about 10 days that anything was mentioned like – does he have tarry stools? We feel absolutely devastated that we were forcing death down his throat. In the end he had a morphine injection and he died a couple of hours later. His heart just wouldn’t give up. It ws awful.
Buprenorphine is said to be a safer drug. Read up on it. It is a powerful opiate available only by prescription. It is used by people but can be prescribed for cats but obviously under strict supervision of a vet.
I think this drug affects individual cats differently. Your Ozzie seems to be OK. However, there is clearly a potential problem.
My cat Ozzie has been prescribed this on a repeat prescription basis. I had no idea until now of the dangers.
He was initially prescribed it because he had his cheek teeth removed due to Calichi Virus however his gums can still at times become inflammed especially when he is stressed.
I give it to him at these times (to be honest this is rarely) and he takes it without any problems in fact he’s a good boy because he opens his mouth when he see’s the syringe so I think it must be palletable as he seems to like it.
After reading this I will do a lot of research before I continue.
It sounds like a horrible last resort. Is there a way to test and see if your specific cat will react badly to it? That would be good. And then if it passes the test use it but only as a last resort to make your cat’s life liveable.