Metacam Dosage Cat Calculator - Weight, Strength, and Phase

The metacam dosage for cats calculator converts your cat's body weight and the strength of the feline Metacam suspension into a precise dose in milligrams and millilitres, separating the single day-1 loading dose from the ongoing daily maintenance dose. Metacam is the brand name for meloxicam, a prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in cats for pain and inflammation, most often after surgery or for chronic musculoskeletal discomfort. Because the cat product (0.5 mg/mL) is far weaker than the dog product (1.5 mg/mL), and because feline tolerance of NSAIDs is narrow, the dose must be scaled to the individual cat rather than guessed.

• • Confirm the day-1 loading volume: An owner checks the volume drawn from the 0.5 mg/mL bottle before a cat's first dose.
• • Check the daily maintenance volume: A caregiver verifies the once-daily volume from day 2 onward matches the prescribed mg/kg rate.
• • Avoid the dog suspension by mistake: The tool flags the 1.5 mg/mL canine product so it is never substituted for the cat bottle.

Meloxicam is one of the few NSAIDs licensed for long-term use in cats, but only at the feline label rate. The calculator keeps that rate fixed and changes only the weight, strength, and phase, which is the safest way to plan a dose.

Metacam is an anti-inflammatory, while an infection may need an antibiotic, and the cephalexin for cats dosage calculator converts a cat's weight into the right cephalexin amount for that situation.

The calculator takes the cat's weight, the suspension strength, and the dosing phase, converts pounds to kilograms if needed, and multiplies the weight by the mg/kg rate for that phase. It then divides the meloxicam amount by the suspension strength to give the volume to draw into the oral syringe.

• Weight (kg): Cat body weight; pounds convert with 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg.
• Rate (mg/kg): Loading is 0.1 mg/kg on day 1; maintenance is 0.05 mg/kg/day from day 2.
• Suspension strength (mg/mL): 0.5 mg/mL for the feline Metacam product; 1.5 mg/mL is the canine product.

The calculator shows the mg/kg rate it used so you can confirm the number matches the veterinary prescription before drawing up the syringe.

The 0.5 mg/mL feline suspension is dosed by volume, so the mL output is the practical figure you measure with the bottle's oral syringe.

According to Meloxicam - veterinary dosing summary (Wikipedia), the feline product is given as a single 0.1 mg/kg dose on day 1 followed by 0.05 mg/kg once daily from day 2, in a 0.5 mg/mL oral suspension

If your cat needs an antihistamine instead of an NSAID, the cat Benadryl dosage calculator scales diphenhydramine to the same weight-based principle used here.

Four ideas explain why the numbers look the way they do, and why they must not be swapped with the dog product.

Because cats are sensitive to NSAIDs, the maintenance rate is half the loading rate on purpose, and the volume is corrected for the exact bottle strength before you measure it.

Both this tool and the fish oil dosage for cats calculator scale a supplement or medication to the cat's weight, but fish oil uses an omega-3 target while Metacam uses a fixed mg/kg NSAID rate.

Run the calculator in five steps, then confirm the plan with your veterinarian before giving the dose.

1. 1 Weigh your cat: Weigh on a scale that reads in kg or lb and use the current weight, not a guess.
2. 2 Pick the suspension strength: Choose 0.5 mg/mL from the feline Metacam bottle; never select 1.5 mg/mL.
3. 3 Choose the dosing phase: Select loading for day 1, or maintenance for day 2 onward.
4. 4 Read the dose and volume: Note the dose in mg and the volume in mL, then draw that volume into the supplied syringe.
5. 5 Confirm with your vet: Check the figure against the prescription and never change the dose on your own.

For a 4 kg cat on day 1, the tool returns 0.4 mg and 0.8 mL; from day 2 it returns 0.2 mg and 0.4 mL of the 0.5 mg/mL suspension.

If a dose is missed or your cat eats something harmful, the cat chocolate toxicity calculator helps judge whether the amount of chocolate ingested needs urgent veterinary care.

A weight-based plan removes guesswork and protects a cat that cannot tell you the dose is wrong.

• • Weight-based precision: Scales the meloxicam amount to the exact cat rather than a flat 'one squeeze' rule.
• • Day-1 vs daily clarity: Shows the correct loading and maintenance volumes so the first day is not overdosed.
• • Strength check: Warns if the 1.5 mg/mL dog product is selected for a cat, preventing a threefold overdose.
• • Syringe-ready output: Gives the volume in mL that matches the bottle and the oral syringe markings.
• • Veterinary-ready: Produces a clear mg and mL figure you can confirm with your vet.
• • Rate transparency: Displays the mg/kg rate used so you can verify it against the prescription.

The output is a planning aid that mirrors the feline label, which makes it straightforward to check against the veterinary instructions at home.

Weight drives more than medication: the cat calorie calculator turns the same body weight into a daily food allowance that supports a healthy dose tolerance.

The calculator follows the labeled feline rates, but several real-world factors change whether those rates are right for your cat.

• • It follows the labeled feline rates and does not account for compounding, off-label use, or cats outside the labeled weight range.
• • It is a planning aid, not a prescription; only a veterinarian can authorise the actual treatment and duration.

Because the feline and canine suspensions differ threefold in strength, always read the bottle before dosing and keep the dog product out of reach of cats.

If your cat shows reduced appetite, vomiting, or changes in drinking or urination while on Metacam, contact your vet, as these can signal NSAID intolerance.

According to VCA Animal Hospitals - Meloxicam, NSAIDs such as meloxicam can harm the kidneys, liver, and stomach of animals and the medication must follow species-specific labeling and veterinary direction

Body condition matters as much as the scale number, and the cat BMI calculator shows whether your cat's weight is healthy before any medication is dosed against it.