Cat insurance: Does anyone bother?

[Andrewd]

Hi all,

I am relatively new to these forums but wondered if I could get some advice on whether to take out pet insurance for Remi.

I never really thought about to be honest until a friend of mine made an expensive insurance claim for a lump to be removed from her cat. Remi is 3 years old and seems to be in great health, but it has got me thinking that perhaps taking out insurance is the way to go.

So with that being said, could I get a hands up for who currently has their pets insured and who thinks its worth it? Help!

Any advice on this would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Drew

[angieh]

Hi Drew! I am new to cat insurance with the arrival of Kizzy and now Pip. I didn't have any insurance for my previous cats and Merlin's care did get costly in his later years, but not IMO unreasonably so.

I was swayed to take out insurance by another member on this forum who has a little cat with severe immune problems. Her owner's experience persuaded me that it is a good thing, especially if you get a company that is well respected in general and perhaps even recommended by your vet practice.

You could always take out a regular savings plan instead in order to help with any vet bills, but in the event of something costly happening, this may not cover.

It's entirely up to you of course ........ it is insurance against horrible things happening after all.

[Andrewd]

Originally Posted by angieh

Hi Drew! I am new to cat insurance with the arrival of Kizzy and now Pip. I didn't have any insurance for my previous cats and Merlin's care did get costly in his later years, but not IMO unreasonably so.

I was swayed to take out insurance by another member on this forum who has a little cat with severe immune problems. Her owner's experience persuaded me that it is a good thing, especially if you get a company that is well respected in general and perhaps even recommended by your vet practice.

You could always take out a regular savings plan instead in order to help with any vet bills, but in the event of something costly happening, this may not cover.

It's entirely up to you of course ........ it is insurance against horrible things happening after all.

Thanks for your reply

A regular savings plan could be an option, I am just a bit scared of the thought of paying out thousands of pounds in vets bills. hmmmm its a tough one.

What level of cover does Kizzy and Pip have? Does it cost much?

[Phoenix]

Dylan's insured with Tesco pet insurance (good thing he is really because of how many fights he's been in)

Cost about £3000 when he got injured through fighting with a rat and the cat fight injuries he's had have cost so far about £500.

Just thought I'd mention it so you can compare what it would cost to insure against what vets bills your cat/s are likely to incur

Beauty, with her treatment, we didn't have insurance for her and altogether it probably cost about £2000-3000 for all her treatment. Excluding the costs to have her PTS.

Here's who we are with: http://www.tescopetinsurance.co.uk/

[yola]

Vet costs can mount up very quickly. Costs for insuring a healthy young cat can be quite low and as long as you keep the insurance going it shouldn't rise too much (I had mine 'capped' so it didn't rise as the cats grew older).

I personally would recommend it. When my first CP persian got an intestinal blockage the operation and associated treatments cost close to £2000; the insurance paid all except the £15 excess!


*edit to say, yes like everything else it's a calculated risk. Your cat may never need treatment and you may never have to claim!!

[Phoenix]

Originally Posted by yola

Vet costs can mount up very quickly. Costs for insuring a healthy young cat can be quite low and as long as you keep the insurance going it shouldn't rise too much (I had mine 'capped' so it didn't rise as the cats grew older).

I personally would recommend it. When my first CP persian got an intestinal blockage the operation and associated treatments cost close to £2000; the insurance paid all except the £15 excess!


*edit to say, yes like everything else it's a calculated risk. Your cat may never need treatment and you may never have to claim!!

Who are you with Yola?

We've got a £50 excess

[angieh]

Kizzy and Pip are both with PetPlan. They have the "budget" cover which costs just over £20 per month. They are covered for life, so if they get an illness that needs repeat treatments, those are covered.

Kizzy is approx 2-3 years old now and Pip is just over 8 months old.

The information from rescuecatsrule above is very helpful - as you can see vet bills soon mount up and insurance does at least take away the worry of a large bill.

[yola]

Originally Posted by rescuecatsrule

Who are you with Yola?

We've got a £50 excess

Angie, this was my previous insurer; E&L (originally called Equine and Livestock). They were excellent until Balie hit age 12. Then for no reason I received a really shirty letter stating that as I had missed a payment (I had not), they were cancelling his insurance. Well I do know the reason - they obviously have a policy of not insuring over a certain age

So I got shirty back and moved all my cats to Animal Friends which is an ethical insurer.

[Elaine]

My old fella Winston never had insurance, he never had a days illness until hye reached the age of 18, then he was diagnosed with CRF. I spent thousands over the next 2 and half years, I regret a penny but it was costly.
I recently lost a young puss at the age of 5 and a half years. She was insured and thank god she was as in just over 3 weeks I spent more than £700 at the vet, which the insurance has re-imbursed minus my excess and she was also under a specialist at the Edinburgh vet school which the insurance pays direct, that bill is around £2500 to £3000.
So all in all, I think insurance is worth taking out as we never expected Eva to become so ill so suddenly. Sadly we lost her but it wasnt for the want of trying, if I didnt have the insurance I wouldnt have been able to get her the specialist care.

[dandysmom]

I have mine with ASPCA here in the States; it's very very reasonable at $135.00 anually for my one cat. I have never had to use it as she is in excellent health, but the peace of mind it gives me knowing it's there in case I need it is well worth the small outlay.