Meloxicam - not sure if this is a side effect.

[mommytobuck]

My vet gave me meloxicam to give to my cat for hip pain. I gave it to him today but, I gave him less than the doctor prescribed. IMHO it was a tiny amount. I wanted to see if there was a bad reaction.

Well all day long my cat has been up and about and will not settle.

Normally he sleeps 12 hours during the day... and it is easy to get him to settle just my habit of sitting on the couch... that is his signal to go to bed. Not today.

Walking around all day long doing weird things like licking the hardwood floor.

He is also ravenous.. demanding food much more than usual.

I have two theories
1. It is hot here today, hotter than it has been in months. And I seem to remember last year my cat having issues sleeping when it was hot and being more active than usual. He also had thunder boomers last night and I know that upsets him.

2. The medication has made him feel so much better he feels like walking around and exploring things... as for the licking the floor I wondered if he was usually too distracted by the pain.

Any thoughts?

Also is this drug dangerous for him? I see a lot of negative things on the internet.

 

[StanAndAlf]

I work part-time at my local vet clinic, and we often prescribe Meloxicam as pain relief. In my limited experience, I have heard of very few adverse reactions to this medication, though not to say it can't happen. I do not believe it is suitable for long term use though, I am under the impression it is a relatively short term drug.

I'm not a vet myself, but it does sound like your cat is feeling so great he just can't sit still. I believe the medication is supposed to be given with food, so that would explain his hunger, along with the lack of pain encouraging him to make up for lost time. As for licking the floor...I'm at a loss there

Best of luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

In DOGS, it can cause increased activity. i've not seen anything about that happening in cats, but here in the U.S., it is not widely used on cats, and if it is, it's for very short term. Canada and Europe don't seem to have an issue with using it though.

Here is an article you might find interesting: Metacam For Cats: The Pros And Cons Of Meloxicam For Pain Relief – TheCatSite Articles

 

[upsetmilk]

Hey,
I am no vet but I had a cat have severe side effects from Meloxi/Metacam. It was given as a pain medication after a surgery.
I did some research and found out that here (I live in Germany) it is very unpopular bc it also damages the liver. Since my cat was getting worse, I called in an emergency vet who told me that there are pain medications that have less side effects.

 

[IndyJones]

I have only used the injection and feline version. I have made it clear to my vet I don't want the dog version used off label on my cats.

My vet tends to avoid using it altogether for cats though it seems, there's also enough alternatives available that it isn't necessary to use it off label anymore.

 

[mommytobuck]

Thanks all. Can you define short term?

My hope is that it is possible that my cat hurt himself and could possibly heal if we got the inflammation under control. So I was thinking about 1 month. This could also give me time to have him lose weight.

My cat is a dog <g> - he believes himself to be in every major category. So that makes sense that what happens for a dog happens for him. How do I know if I have the dog or cat medication -- it is a oral solution.

But I put him to bed at 8 and he did sleep through the night.. so much so that I slept late -- which never happens. Today it has gotten cold so we will see if he is still restless.

Does anyone know that the alternatives are? For arthritis or hip pain?

As by way of explanation I suspect that some food has spilled on the hardwood floor in the past but only because my cat is feeling better he noticed and decided to lick it.. when he is not feeling better he ignores it. Once I washed the area down he was no longer interested.

 

[StanAndAlf]

When I said short term, I was thinking two weeks max, though a vet may say different. A long term pain relief I used with my old cat was Buprelieve. I'm less familiar with this drug and have only seen it used a handful of times myself, but it worked well for my own cat and definitely improved his quality of life. Perhaps something to discuss with a vet.

 

[IndyJones]

If it is a liquid you can take a syringe and shoot it into your pets cheek (towards the rear, not under the jowls). This is the method I use.

I've found if I add medicine to food I end up with food aversion which is a nightmare.