Tension pneumoperitoneum secondary to duodenal perforation presumptively due to the administration of meloxicam in a cat

A 4‐year‐old neutered domestic cat was presented with a history of vomiting, anorexia, lethargy and severe abdominal distension. The cat was hypothermic and hypotensive. It had received a week course of meloxicam. Abdominal radiographies revealed the presence of a very large volume of peritoneal gas associated loss in peritoneal serosal detail and gastric dilatation. The presumptive diagnosis was tension pneumoperitoneum and peritonitis caused, most likely, by a gastrointestinal perforation. Exploratory laparotomy confirmed the presence of a duodenum perforation. At the end of the surgery, the cat suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and died. Unfortunately, the post‐mortem examination was not allowed. Spontaneous pneumoperitoneum is a rare condition reported in cats. The incidence of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) induced by gastroduodenal perforation in cats has been reported in a few cases. In the cat reported here, the authors suspect that duodenal perforation was secondary to NSAID administration.