Insurance - well worth having

[Booktigger]

After doing some mental arithmetic, I realised last night that PEbbles has cost me over £1k in vets bills this year alone, never mind the couple of hundred last year. Fortunately she is insured, as I wouldn't have been able to get away without some of the treatment she has had this year, but I have still had to pay excesses on that, although prob a lot better than the total amount!! So I Really would recommend insuring cats as soon as you get them - Pebbles and Molly are 11 and 13 (well, nearly 12 and 14 now), and I pay about £14-15 a month for the two of them, I might not have claimed anything for Molly, but so far they have paid out over £600 for PEbbles, and they haven't received the latest claim yet. Although I am not sure whether telling your emergency vets is a good idea!!!

[sandy]

I've had cats all my life and have never had any really devastating vets' bills. Perhaps moggies are healthier than pedigree cats.

I worked out the other day what my cat would have cost me in insurance in the past 13 years if I'd been insured: 1,700 euros. Now that is an awful lot of money. Even if she needs her amputation in 2 weeks, I will only have spent about a third of the insurance premium on vets' bills in 13 years, and that includes her sterilisation.

[dinahsmum]

I think pet insurance is a matter of personal choice and economics and there's probably no 'right or wrong' formula.
In general, I am in favour of insurance for dogs, as I feel I would be happy to agree to a much greater range of medical or surgical intervention for a dog than a cat. Not because I value dogs more but because cats are such terrible patients and I feel it would take a lot of subsequent good health to make up for protracted veterinary treatment.
I've never insured a cat. Not sure it was 'normal' when Mini was little anyway. She's cost only a minimal amount ... if any, can't remember .... until now contracting early kidney disease. So we've just had the initial diagnosis, treatment, hospitalisation etc at under £200 and a daily pill to continue to pay for. Not too bad.
As for my boys - well, I hope they too live long, happy and healthy lives. Absceses and other minors will be treated if they arise. Should they be unfortunate to have an rta they will be treated if possible. If they should develop a life threatening ilness, we'll weigh it up then with vet advice.
However, we are lucky to be relatively comfortable financially now, and could make any decision on treatment without taking money into account. There were times in out life (plenty!) when that wasn't the case and if insurance had been more widespread I might well have gone for the safety-first option. Better to pay £5 a month and not have to make that awful life-or-death decision.

Long way of saying - each to his own.

[Mags]

I have never taken out Pet Insurance but I do put money away weekly in what I call my "vet emergency fund". Cassie was hospitalised for 5 days two years ago and the vet bill was £500+ .........since then I have been putting £5 a week away to cover any vet bills. After a while you don't notice it but it is nice to know you have it there if the ocassion arises.
Fortunately her visits since have only been for general health checks and boosters ..........but that money is still in my control not some Insurance Company's 'pocket'......

[Booktigger]

I think you are very lucky Sandy - my annual vets bill for the past two years have been around £700 - and apart from 2 months last year and 3 this, I have only had 2 cats!! I think the first 2 years were slightly cheaper, but still £200-£300 each year. Each of of mine (excluding PEbbles and Molly) have cost me a miniumum of £250 each (excluding food, flea and worm treatments unless included in a bill for treatment), Molly has only been about £100, but I haven't had her a year yet, and Pebbles is nearing £1200. I was in a very bad financial situation last year when I took on a third cat, was up to the credit card limit and had to live in the overdraft for months. I really do think taking out insurance was the best thing I did.

[Kim]

I am very pro-insurance too. Both my dogs cost £2,000 each in operations/scans etc. definitely couldn't have afforded that. It is personal choice and like all insurance, a gamble, but I find the peace of mind worth it.

[sandy]

Yes, I suppose if you've been getting bills like that, it's wise to take out insurance. I've had cats for nearly 40 years and never had major medical expenses, apart from vaccinations, sterilisations and the odd infected bite. Then there was one operation in all those years that cost about 150 pounds.