There is a lot of discussion on the internet as to whether Metacam is safe for use in cats.
Metacam is an anti-inflamatory medication that is used for pain relief in cats and dogs.
I recently wrote an article about Metacam Use in Cats. I was surprised to find that there are a lot of reported cases of serious problems resulting after a cat had received a single injection of Metacam. You can read in the article about the specifics of these problems.
In my practice I have recently switched from giving Metacam injections to cats for post operative pain and instead I give an alternative medication called Tolfedine. I do occasionally prescribe oral Metacam for cats with arthritis but I am careful to do regular checks on the cat’s kidney function and use a very small dose.
Do you have an experience with using Metacam in cats? Did your cat experience side effects? Feel free to leave a comment!
So sorry to hear of your cat. This is REALLY unusual with oral Metacam. How much was she taking? I’m wondering if it is possible that she was overdosing on Metacam.
December 15, 2011 — I just lost a rescued cat to sudden acute kidney failure about 10 days after she was given the U.S. oral dose of .3 mg/kg of metacam. She appeared fine for the next week, ate well, was drinking normal amount of water, and was a young cat — was alive at 8 PM, sleeping, had eaten some of her dinner. Then found yesterday morning in total collapse and hypothermic on cold floor, dilated pupils. Warmed on heating pad and then taken to vet who didn’t think it was the metacam, she had nystagmus and he thought she had a stroke, so they didn’t give fluids. Planed on watching her to see if she recovered from stroke but she died in the hospital overnight. Lab work came back next day showed kidney failure. Siamese tend to be extra sensitive to things, I think it was metacam that caused the kidney failure, but no way to be sure.
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear about your cat. In this case it is unlikely that an oral dose of metacam would cause these symptoms. The nystagmus (flickering of the eyeballs) means there was a neurological issue which is not something we see with kidney disease. A stroke or something similar is much more likely. But, thank you for reporting this.