Cat · Felis catus · typical adult weight 2.50–7.00 kg
Calcium Gluconate is dosed at 50–100 mg/kg calcium gluconate SALT (not elemental Ca) IV q6-8h in cats, per BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed., Part A: Canine and Feline, Calcium salts, printed p.60 (corpus PDF p.76) — cats, parenteral hypocalcaemia 95-140 mg calcium gluconate/kg slow IV, then 2.5 ml/kg of 10% calcium gluconate q6-8h — plus Plumb's 10th ed. printed p.175, which prints our exact volume (0.5-1 mL/kg of calcium gluconate 10% = 50-100 mg/kg of the gluconate salt). — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part A — Canine and Feline — ISBN 9781910443705, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443705; Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 BASIS CLARIFIED 2026-08-13: the served figure is the SALT, not elemental calcium, and the unit did not say so. Plumb's 10th ed corpus p.202 carries an explicit warning on this exact ambiguity: "Dosing parenteral calcium can be confusing and potentially dangerous. Depending on the reference […]" The same page prints the DOGS/CATS figure as elemental - "5 - 15 mg/kg of elemental calcium IV slowly over 10 to 30 minutes" - and its product table gives calcium gluconate 10% as 9.3 mg elemental calcium per mL of a 100 mg/mL solution. The served 50-100 mg/kg of SALT is therefore about 4.7-9.3 mg/kg elemental, consistent with the printed 5-15 elemental. NO NUMBER CHANGED: read as elemental the same figure would be roughly 10x the printed dose, which is what the unit string now prevents.. Calcium Gluconate is used in cats for Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia, Hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia (urethral obstruction). Routes documented in cats: IV. A typical adult cat weighs 2.50–7.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 2 cited dose rules for Calcium Gluconate in cats, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IV | 50–100 mg/kg calcium gluconate SALT (not elemental Ca) | q6-8h | Until calcium stable | Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia | Weak | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed., Part A: Canine and Feline, Calcium salts, printed p.60 (corpus PDF p.76) — cats, parenteral hypocalcaemia 95-140 mg calcium gluconate/kg slow IV, then 2.5 ml/kg of 10% calcium gluconate q6-8h — plus Plumb's 10th ed. printed p.175, which prints our exact volume (0.5-1 mL/kg of calcium gluconate 10% = 50-100 mg/kg of the gluconate salt). — SOURCE EDITION: BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, Part A — Canine and Feline — ISBN 9781910443705, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781910443705; Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 BASIS CLARIFIED 2026-08-13: the served figure is the SALT, not elemental calcium, and the unit did not say so. Plumb's 10th ed corpus p.202 carries an explicit warning on this exact ambiguity: "Dosing parenteral calcium can be confusing and potentially dangerous. Depending on the reference […]" The same page prints the DOGS/CATS figure as elemental - "5 - 15 mg/kg of elemental calcium IV slowly over 10 to 30 minutes" - and its product table gives calcium gluconate 10% as 9.3 mg elemental calcium per mL of a 100 mg/mL solution. The served 50-100 mg/kg of SALT is therefore about 4.7-9.3 mg/kg elemental, consistent with the printed 5-15 elemental. NO NUMBER CHANGED: read as elemental the same figure would be roughly 10x the printed dose, which is what the unit string now prevents. |
| IV | 50–100 mg/kg calcium gluconate SALT (not elemental Ca) | once | Slow IV over 10-20 min with ECG | Hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia (urethral obstruction) |
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Provides ionized calcium for neuromuscular function, cardiac conduction, and bone metabolism. Cardioprotective against hyperkalemia.
IV administration must be SLOW with ECG monitoring (cardiac arrest risk). Tissue necrosis if given SC undiluted at high concentrations. Dilute for SC use. Monitor ionized calcium levels.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for cats may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Calcium Gluconate dose ranges in cats, with cited source references: IV 50–100 mg/kg calcium gluconate SALT (not elemental Ca) q6-8h; IV 50–100 mg/kg calcium gluconate SALT (not elemental Ca) once. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Calcium Gluconate in cats: IV.
Cited course lengths for Calcium Gluconate in cats include: Until calcium stable; Slow IV over 10-20 min with ECG. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Calcium Gluconate is indicated in cats for: Post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia, Hypocalcemia, hyperkalemia (urethral obstruction).
These are general warnings for Calcium Gluconate across species; consult the cat dosing table above for species-specific guidance. IV administration must be SLOW with ECG monitoring (cardiac arrest risk). Tissue necrosis if given SC undiluted at high concentrations. Dilute for SC use. Monitor ionized calcium levels.
Why a species-specific page? Calcium Gluconate pharmacokinetics differ across species: dose ranges, intervals, and route preferences are not interchangeable. Cross-extrapolation from canine doses is unsafe in cats — the rules above are the citations specific to this species, not generic recommendations.
Sourced from published veterinary references; awaiting credentialed clinical reviewer. See our editorial process. Reference only — not veterinary advice.
| Polzin DJ, Osborne CA. Diseases of the Urinary Tract. In: Davis LE, ed. Handbook of Small Animal Therapeutics. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1985:333-395. PMID: 42536520 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.202 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.174-176 (corpus PDF p.201-203), Calcium, IV (-Borogluconate, -Chloride, -Gluconate) monograph, Dosages [LOCATOR CORRECTED 2026-08-12 — the clause previously here named the Calcium Acetate monograph, an oral phosphate binder]; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 BASIS CLARIFIED 2026-08-13: the served figure is the SALT, not elemental calcium, and the unit did not say so. Plumb's 10th ed corpus p.202 carries an explicit warning on this exact ambiguity: "Dosing parenteral calcium can be confusing and potentially dangerous. Depending on the reference […]" The same page prints the DOGS/CATS figure as elemental - "5 - 15 mg/kg of elemental calcium IV slowly over 10 to 30 minutes" - and its product table gives calcium gluconate 10% as 9.3 mg elemental calcium per mL of a 100 mg/mL solution. The served 50-100 mg/kg of SALT is therefore about 4.7-9.3 mg/kg elemental, consistent with the printed 5-15 elemental. NO NUMBER CHANGED: read as elemental the same figure would be roughly 10x the printed dose, which is what the unit string now prevents. |