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Cat sick after Metacam: vomiting, diarrhea, not eating. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

My cat took Metacam for the first time on thursday afternoon. He began vomiting and had diarrhea about 6 hours after the first dose and was lethargic. I have not given him a second dose. We are now 48 hours later and he cannot eat a moderate amount of food without bringing it back up. He is back to his old self mood wise, but can only keep down about a tablespoon of wet food at a time. My vet is unreachable at the moment.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 10th, 2018

This class of medication can cause damage to the lining of the stomach and intestines. This appears to be the case for Kingston. It's good that you stopped the medication and I would not give it again until you are able to talk with your vet. The damage done to the stomach and intestines takes a while to resolve, so it's understandable that she is still experiencing some issues. It may take a couple of weeks until this is fully resolved. This does not appear to be serious at this time, so it's best to continue feeding him small meals. It's best if you can break the meals into multiple small meals throughout the day. These conditions actually heal better when there is food in the stomach, but they will definitely feel nauseous with moderate to large meals. I hope that helps and Kingston gets better soon.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Celestin, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Dentistry Resident

    Published on September 8th, 2019

    Hi there! I’m sorry to hear Winston isn’t feeling well. I recommend discontinuing the Metacam, as it is what we call a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and can be very hard on the gastrointestinal track. If WInston continues to have diarrhea and or gets worse after stopping the medication he should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Hopefully this helps and Winston has a speedy recovery!

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