Cat · Felis catus · typical adult weight 2.50–7.00 kg
Meloxicam is dosed at 0.01–0.03 mg/kg PO q24h in cats, per Papich, Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, Meloxicam, Instructions for Use, printed pp.489-490 (corpus PDF pp.517-518) — SOURCE EDITION: Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs — ISBN 9780323244855, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323244855. Meloxicam is used in cats for Chronic pain in older cats with kidney disease (low-dose, extra-label), Feline asthma adjunct (anti-inflammatory), Pain, musculoskeletal, post-operative, Post-operative analgesia. Routes documented in cats: PO, SC. A typical adult cat weighs 2.50–7.00 kg. ExoticRx lists 4 cited dose rules for Meloxicam in cats, drawn from published veterinary references. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
US trade names: Metacam
| Route | Dose | Frequency | Duration | Indication | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO | 0.01–0.03 mg/kg | q24h | Chronic with regular monitoring | Chronic pain in older cats with kidney disease (low-dose, extra-label) | Weak | Papich, Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, Meloxicam, Instructions for Use, printed pp.489-490 (corpus PDF pp.517-518) — SOURCE EDITION: Saunders Handbook of Veterinary Drugs — ISBN 9780323244855, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323244855 |
| PO | 0.01–0.05 mg/kg | q24h | Short course only | Feline asthma adjunct (anti-inflammatory) | Weak | METACAM - Meloxicam 0.5 Mg/Ml Oral Suspension for Cats and Guinea Pigs [UK Datasheet]. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd; 2018. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ca78caf5-2b47-46c1-abec-0f925b39f455 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.855 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.825, Meloxicam monograph spanning p.825-828; 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 |
| PO | 0.01–0.05 mg/kg | q24h | Short-term preferred; chronic use controversial | Pain, musculoskeletal, post-operative | Strong | METACAM - Meloxicam 0.5 Mg/Ml Oral Suspension for Cats and Guinea Pigs [UK Datasheet]. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd; 2018. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ca78caf5-2b47-46c1-abec-0f925b39f455 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.855 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.825, Meloxicam monograph spanning p.825-828; 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 |
| SC | 0.1–0.2 mg/kg | once | Single peri-operative dose only | Post-operative analgesia | Strong | Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.854 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.825, Meloxicam monograph spanning p.825-828; 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 |
Every held source for this drug and species, as printed. Where they differ, both are shown — the choice is yours, not ours.
| Dose (mg/kg) | Route | Source | As printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | SC | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.267 | • Initial injectable dose is 0.2 mg/kg s.c.; if given as a single preoperative injection effects last for 24 hours. To conti |
| 0.05 | PO | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.267 | rs later by the oral suspension for cats at a dosage of 0.05 mg/kg p.o. • Postoperative pain/inflammation: single injection of 0.3 mg/kg s.c. has been |
| 0.3 | SC | BSAVA Small Animal Formulary, 10th ed — Part A (Canine and Feline)p.267 | o. • Postoperative pain/inflammation: single injection of 0.3 mg/kg s.c. has been shown to be safe and efficacious. It is not recommended to follow t |
| 0.1 | PO |
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Preferential COX-2 inhibitor, reducing prostaglandin synthesis. Provides anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects.
Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Species-specific contraindications and adverse-reaction reports for cats may differ from canine / feline reference data — consult the primary citations listed with each rule.
Meloxicam dose ranges in cats, with cited source references: PO 0.01–0.03 mg/kg q24h; PO 0.01–0.05 mg/kg q24h; PO 0.01–0.05 mg/kg q24h; SC 0.1–0.2 mg/kg once. Reference ranges from cited sources — verify against current literature before clinical use.
Documented routes for Meloxicam in cats: PO, SC.
Cited course lengths for Meloxicam in cats include: Chronic with regular monitoring; Short course only; Short-term preferred; chronic use controversial; Single peri-operative dose only. Duration depends on the indication — match it to the specific dose rule in the table above.
Meloxicam is indicated in cats for: Chronic pain in older cats with kidney disease (low-dose, extra-label), Feline asthma adjunct (anti-inflammatory), Pain, musculoskeletal, post-operative, Post-operative analgesia.
These are general warnings for Meloxicam across species; consult the cat dosing table above for species-specific guidance. Use with extreme caution in cats. Jurisdiction-specific labeling: the US (FDA) label authorizes a single SC dose only, with a boxed warning against repeated use; EU/UK/AU labels authorize repeated oral dosing for chronic musculoskeletal pain — follow your jurisdiction's label. GI ulceration risk. Avoid in dehydrated, hypovolemic, or renally compromised patients. Do not combine with other NSAIDs or corticosteroids.
Why a species-specific page? Meloxicam 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.
| initial oral dose is 0.1 mg/kg p.o. q24h, which can be followed by a maintenance dose of 0.05 mg/kg p.o q24h. T |
Figures are transcribed from the cited page or table of each held edition and are shown for reference only. They are not dose recommendations, they do not feed the calculator, and none has been reviewed by a veterinarian.