In the US, a cat gets meloxicam (brand name Metacam) as one injection, given by the vet before surgery. That single dose is the only use the FDA has approved for cats. Every veterinary meloxicam label sold in the US carries this boxed warning:
Repeated use of meloxicam in cats has been associated with acute renal failure and death. Do not administer additional injectable or oral meloxicam to cats.
That does not make meloxicam a bad drug for cats. It is one of the two most widely studied pain relievers of its kind in cats, and the UK licenses a daily cat liquid. It does mean the decision belongs to your vet, the dose has to be exact, and a second dose should never come from a leftover bottle. Here is the warning in plain words, the label dose chart with US and outside-US rows kept apart, the signs that mean stop and call, and the kidney checks to expect.
Is Meloxicam Safe for Cats? The FDA Boxed Warning
A boxed warning is the strongest safety notice on a prescription animal drug label. After reviewing side-effect reports, the FDA identified many cases of sudden kidney failure and death in cats that received repeated doses and asked the makers of all meloxicam products to add the box. It is on Metacam Solution for Injection, Metacam Oral Suspension and the US generics (Meloxicam Injection, Meloxidyl, Loxicom and Meloxicam Solution for Injection).
What it means at home:
- One injection before a spay, neuter or orthopedic surgery is the approved use. The vet team gives that single dose under the skin.
- No oral meloxicam is approved for cats in the US. The Metacam liquid sold here is labeled "for oral use in dogs only" and says "Do not use METACAM Oral Suspension in cats."
- Anything more is your vet's call. US law lets veterinarians use an approved drug in a way the label does not list (extra-label use). If your vet prescribes meloxicam for longer, that is a deliberate decision with screening and monitoring attached, not a routine refill.
What Meloxicam Does in a Cat's Body
Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It blocks the enzymes that make prostaglandins, chemical messengers that drive pain, swelling and fever after an injury or surgery.
Prostaglandins also have day jobs. They keep blood flowing to the kidneys and protect the stomach and gut lining. Less of them means less pain, and it is also why vets watch two side effects most closely: stomach and gut upset, and reduced kidney blood flow. A cat that is dehydrated, has low blood pressure or has kidney disease has less room for either.
Meloxicam Dosage Chart for Cats
For information only. These are typical published dose ranges, not a prescription and not medically verified for your pet. Your veterinarian sets the dose after examining your pet. Never start, stop or change a medicine without their OK.
Species | Use | Dose per kg | Dose per lb | How often | Route | Where this applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cat | Pain and inflammation after spay, castration or orthopedic surgery | 0.3 mg/kg | 0.14 mg/lb | Given once by your vet before surgery. Never repeated | Injection under the skin | United States (FDA-approved label) | US Metacam injection label (DailyMed) |
Cat | Any use by mouth | Not approved | Not approved | Do not give | By mouth | United States | US Metacam oral suspension labels (dogs only); FDA |
Cat | Pain after surgery, continued after a first injection of the UK meloxicam injection product | 0.05 mg/kg | about 0.023 mg/lb | Once a day, starting 24 hours after that injection, for up to 4 days | By mouth (0.5 mg/ml cat liquid) | Outside the US only: UK label | UK Metacam 0.5 mg/ml cat label (NOAH Compendium) |
Cat | Short-term (acute) muscle and joint pain | 0.2 mg/kg on day 1, then 0.05 mg/kg | about 0.09 mg/lb, then about 0.023 mg/lb | Once a day while the acute pain lasts | By mouth (0.5 mg/ml cat liquid) | Outside the US only: UK label | UK Metacam 0.5 mg/ml cat label (NOAH Compendium) |
Cat | Long-term (chronic) muscle and joint pain, such as arthritis | 0.1 mg/kg on day 1, then 0.05 mg/kg | about 0.045 mg/lb, then about 0.023 mg/lb | Once a day; stop by day 14 if there is no improvement | By mouth (0.5 mg/ml cat liquid) | Outside the US only: UK label | UK Metacam 0.5 mg/ml cat label (NOAH Compendium) |
Only give what your vet prescribed, at the dose they set.
How to read the chart:
- The US row is a clinic dose. You will never measure it at home. It is here so you know what your cat received at surgery.
- Never follow the US shot with a liquid. The US injection label says: "Do not administer METACAM Oral Suspension following the single, one-time injectable dose of meloxicam."
- The outside-US rows are not US instructions. They show how the UK label for a cat liquid works, on a UK vet's plan. The UK label states mg/kg only; the per-lb figures are our conversions. It also says "The recommended dose should not be exceeded" and warns that meloxicam has a narrow safety margin in cats, with signs of overdose possible at relatively small overdoses. A few extra drops matter in a small cat.
Why Cats in Other Countries Get a Daily Liquid
If you have read a UK or European site, you may have seen Metacam for cats described as a daily oral liquid. Outside the US, it is. The Metacam 0.5 mg/ml oral suspension for cats is licensed in the UK for pain after surgery and for short-term and long-term muscle and joint pain, and it is authorised across the EU.
The Merck Veterinary Manual sums up the split: in the US, meloxicam is not approved for cats beyond a single injection, while the EU and other countries register the oral suspension for repeated use. The 2024 feline NSAID guidelines from the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) call meloxicam and robenacoxib the most widely studied NSAIDs in cats, licensed for long-term use in several countries.
For a US owner, that means a product bought abroad or online, or a dose copied from a foreign label, is not a safe shortcut. If your cat has arthritis pain, ask your vet what the options are here.
If Your Vet Prescribes Meloxicam Beyond One Injection
The US label warns against repeat use in cats. The 2024 ISFM/AAFP guidelines, written for vets, describe careful long-term NSAID use in some cats, with kidney screening, under a vet's supervision. Your vet weighs those two for your cat and decides the product, the dose and the schedule. If they go ahead, here is what to expect.
Before the first dose. The FDA advises blood and urine tests before an NSAID. The ISFM/AAFP guidelines add a physical exam, a blood pressure reading and baseline bloodwork.
While your cat takes it. Kidney checks are the core. The guidelines note that the standard kidney values (creatinine and BUN) miss early changes, so vets also track SDMA (a more sensitive kidney marker), how concentrated the urine is and how much protein it carries. Your vet sets the recheck schedule (bloodwork and urine).
If your cat has kidney disease. Here the sources differ. The US injection label says not to use meloxicam in cats with existing kidney problems, and the UK label lists impaired kidney function as a reason not to use it. The ISFM/AAFP guidelines say cats with stable chronic kidney disease may be treated after an individual assessment. It is a common overlap: in studies the guidelines cite, up to 69% of cats with degenerative joint disease (arthritis) also had chronic kidney disease. More in our guide to cat kidney diseases.
Giving it. Ask the vet team to show you how to give the dose; the guidelines encourage vet nurses and technicians to demonstrate it. If pills or liquids are a battle in your house, our guide on learning how to give a cat a pill has gentler techniques to ask about. The guidelines' other tips:
- Give the dose with food or straight after it. A small portion or a treat works better than the regular meal, which some cats go off if it tastes of medicine.
- Offer a little food first. If your cat will not eat, skip the dose and call your vet. Stomach and gut upset, including poor appetite, is the most common NSAID side effect in cats.
- Keep water easy to reach. Dehydration raises the kidney risk; see our tips on dehydration in cats.
Judging whether it works. Behavior is the best guide to chronic pain in cats. With arthritis, NSAID treatment has been shown to improve jumping, using stairs, walking speed, play and mood. Short videos of your cat at home help your vet compare before and after.
Meloxicam Side Effects in Cats: When to Stop and Call
The US label tells owners to contact the vet immediately if they see a possible side effect, and the UK label says treatment should be stopped. The signs the labels list:
- Vomiting or diarrhea
- Eating less or not at all
- Lethargy, low mood or other behavior changes
- Blood in the stool, black and tarry stool, or vomiting blood
- More thirst or urination, which can point to kidney trouble (see why a cat drinks a lot of water)
The UK label says side effects usually appear in the first week of treatment and mostly pass once the drug stops, but in very rare cases they can be serious or fatal. Reports collected after US approval list kidney problems first, then appetite loss, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and anemia, with deaths reported.
Kidney injury is hard to spot early. The ISFM/AAFP guidelines call the signs vague: eating less, vomiting, drinking more, seeming flat. That is why the bloodwork matters.
Stop and call your vet right away for any of the signs above.
Call now (your vet, an emergency clinic or a poison line) if your cat:
- Vomits blood, or passes black or bloody stool
- Stops eating and drinking
- Collapses or seems very weak
- Got an extra dose, a dog's or person's meloxicam, or chewed into a bottle
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435. Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661. Have the product box or label at hand when you call.
Cats Who Should Not Get Meloxicam
The US injection label and the UK cat label agree on most of the list:
- Cats with a known allergy to meloxicam
- Cats already on another NSAID or a steroid (prednisolone, dexamethasone and similar), or that recently had one; vets plan a gap when switching
- Cats with kidney disease (see above for where the guidelines differ), and on the UK label, cats with liver or heart disease, stomach or gut ulcers or bleeding, or bleeding disorders
- Cats that are dehydrated, have low blood volume or low blood pressure
Pregnant and nursing cats. The UK label says not to use meloxicam in pregnant or nursing animals. The US label says safe use in pregnant, nursing or breeding cats has not been evaluated.
Young kittens. The UK label says not to use it in cats under 6 weeks old. The US injection label says safety has not been evaluated in cats under 4 months.
Medicines to mention to your vet. The labels and the ISFM/AAFP guidelines flag other NSAIDs and steroids, diuretics ("water pills"), ACE inhibitors and other blood pressure medicines, blood thinners, and drugs that are hard on the kidneys. Bring a list of everything your cat takes, supplements included. A cat that reacted badly to one NSAID may react to another.
Other Pain Options Your Vet May Discuss
- Robenacoxib (Onsior). The other NSAID approved for cats in the US, as a tablet or injection, for no more than 3 days after surgery. The FDA notes that no NSAID is approved for long-term use in cats.
- Non-NSAID pain medicines. The US label says that if more pain relief is needed after the single meloxicam dose, a different class of pain medicine may be needed. Vets often combine medicines; gabapentin for cats is one example for chronic pain.
- Home changes for arthritic cats. The ISFM/AAFP guidelines suggest litter boxes with at least one low side, steps or ramps to favorite spots, non-slip rugs and warm beds, alongside any medicine.
Never give your cat a human pain reliever. The FDA tells owners to stop and call the vet before reaching for the aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen bottle. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is fatal to cats, because they lack the liver enzymes to break it down. Ibuprofen can cause severe poisoning in cats. Cats clear aspirin very slowly, and Pet Poison Helpline notes they are much more sensitive to aspirin poisoning than dogs, so aspirin is only ever a vet's decision. Human meloxicam tablets are made and dosed for people.
Metacam for Cats: Common Questions
Can I buy Metacam over the counter?
No. Meloxicam is prescription only in the US, where federal law restricts it to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian, and in the UK, where the cat liquid is POM-V (prescription only, from a vet).
Does Metacam come in tablets for cats?
Not in the US. No oral meloxicam, liquid or tablet, is approved for cats here. Never give a cat a human meloxicam tablet or part of one.
I have leftover Metacam. Can I give it to my cat?
No. Call your vet first. A repeat dose is exactly what the boxed warning is about, your cat's kidneys may have changed, and the cause of the pain is unknown. An opened bottle also expires: the UK cat liquid lasts 6 months after opening (the small 3 ml bottle, 14 days).
Can I use my dog's (or horse's) meloxicam for my cat?
No. The US Metacam oral suspension is labeled for dogs only and says not to use it in cats, and meloxicam products come in different strengths (the US dog liquid alone comes in 1.5 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL). Diluting one to "cat size" is guesswork with a drug that has a narrow margin.
How should Metacam be stored?
Follow the box. The US injection is a clinic product kept at controlled room temperature (68 to 77°F). The UK cat liquid needs no special storage. Keep every medicine out of reach of children and pets.
Originally written by Alianna Munakata. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.
Sources
- DailyMed: Metacam (meloxicam) Solution for Injection label, Boehringer Ingelheim
- DailyMed: Metacam (meloxicam oral suspension) label, Boehringer Ingelheim
- FDA: Information about the Boxed Warning on Metacam (meloxicam) Labels
- FDA: What Veterinarians Should Advise Clients About Pain Control and NSAIDs
- FDA: Get the Facts about Pain Relievers for Pets
- NOAH Compendium (UK): Metacam 0.5 mg/ml oral suspension for cats and guinea pigs, dosage, contraindications and warnings and legal category
- EU Union Product Database: Metacam 0.5 mg/ml oral suspension (cats, guinea pigs)
- Taylor S, et al. 2024 ISFM and AAFP consensus guidelines on the long-term use of NSAIDs in cats. J Feline Med Surg, 2024
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Animals
- Pet Poison Helpline: Aspirin
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control and Pet Poison Helpline
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
