Metacam/Meloxicam for thin bladder walls?

[Noah & me (GA)]

My vet is a cat only specialist and won't use NSAIDs.

My vet is a board certified internist and he will not give any cat Metacam either.

@Larry and Kitties
This is my issue with Metacam. I have a cabinet where I keep old meds and in there I have quite a few half full boxes/bottle of Metacam going back as far as 2016. For some people it's a wonder drug, it's never worked for me with cats or dogs.
Other than two easily treated UTI episodes years ago Marco is in good health but has always had microscopic amounts of blood in his urine. Our vet has ruled out everything else and thinks Marco has thin bladder walls. I don't know how she came up with that. It turns out "they" have discovered a side effect of Metacam is thickening of the bladder walls in cats.
A Google search of "can metacam treat thin bladder walls in cats" led me to one header that in part read "Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) can lead to severe bladder inflammation and the thickened bladder wall that develops may be difficult to distinguish from an underlying .....

That page is
https://icatcare.org/advice/feline-idiopathic-cystitis-fic/
and is a sub page of International Cat Care https://icatcare.org/
The .org designation is meant only for charities and non profits.

Our vet gave us Metacam powder in gel caps to put in Marco's food over a month ago and on the box is hand written "Do NOT discontinue". I haven't even opened the box for a number of medical reasons and next month Marco goes in for his four month urine check. I can lie to my vet, tell her the box disappeared when I cleaned out the cabinet, aliens took it or (the truth) that Marco knows there's something in his food and won't eat it.
I don't like being confrontational but for two years now every four months in I go, out comes my Visa and the answer is always the same. Has anyone heard of this treatment or have something I can show my vet? I also get the feeling both our vets know we mean "forever" and sometimes feel taken advantage of. It's not a nice feeling.

 

[tiffmaxee]

I was just told by my vet it can lead to kidney disease and if your cat has it will make it worse. It has a black box warning in the US.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Well that's super. Marco spent his first six years outdoors and abused, I can't imagine that helps with kidney and liver function.
@Bron and Sheba (GA) did you say the Canadian dose was less than the US dose? Overall I think my vet is fishing for a miracle cure for something that's not a huge problem.

 

[Katherine&Ruby]

Adequan has been known to work well for repairing the lining of the bladder. Cartrophen is the equivalent available in Canada.

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

I should have said this yesterday. Every search I did came back with warnings about long term use. I've never had a vet write "do NOT discontinue" on any med.
I get why Daniel will be on PEG the rest of his life and why Noah needed BUPE every day, what's going to happen to Marco's GI if I discontinue this? Other than less than trace amounts of blood in his urine his labs always come back fine, teeth are good, no straining or going outside the box.
Thanks Katherine, I have lots of time to look into Adequan before he goes in again.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Well that's super. Marco spent his first six years outdoors and abused, I can't imagine that helps with kidney and liver function.
@Bron and Sheba (GA) did you say the Canadian dose was less than the US dose? Overall I think my vet is fishing for a miracle cure for something that's not a huge problem.

I didnt get this link sorry…. I just happened to see it.
Yes the Canadians and Australians and I’m sure other countries such as the UK and New Zealand use a cat specific Metacam and the strength is 0.5 mg/ml.
The dog strength metacam is 1.5 mg/ ml. So it is three times stronger.
Maybe your cat has FLUTD. Sheba had that and I gave her a medication that’s name escapes me at the moment. I had to buy it from the US and it was for the bladder walls. She also had a course of Cartrophen, primarily for her arthritis but it was also for her bladder walls

 

[Noah & me (GA)]

Thanks all. I think this is a lost cause for a few reasons.
-I dislike giving any meds strictly for the value of their side effects.
-I don't like Marco being the subject of fascination. He's been X-rayed, had ultrasounds and many blood and urine tests that clearly show no problems. Obviously the blood is a problem but "thin bladder walls" is just a best guess.
-Getting meds into Marco never works. He'll take shots and come home happy but pilling him gets him mouth breathing and near hysterical. He's also one of those cats that knows there's something in his food no matter how tasteless it is.
-I won't put his health at risk by being petty. He isn't straining or peeing outside the box, just wait to see what his next visit shows.
-His last issue is with techs who don't listen to my warning about using a spray bottle to clean anything when he's in the room. That's how he was abused for years and still runs into the basement if he hears or sees the bottle. Some people just shouldn't have cats.

 

[Dyana]

When asked about a tiny bit of blood in my cat's urinalysis results, my vet says some cats get that because of the needle they put into their bladder to extract the urine.