Please help me get my head around cat insurance

[Ironfloor269]

Our cat is a 5 month old domesticated long haired kitten.

I've been looking at getting insurance for him and there are so many our there that I find it quite daunting.

Please could you recommend what the best policy to get for a kitten? I'm not sure whether I need to go for as vet fees policy as he is relatively healthy and young. So should I get the cheapest one going? Are there any brands to avoid?

Thanks in advance.

[LiterallyCantBelieveIt]

My vet says that Petplan is the best. He visibly winced when my idiot ex said that he'd insured our cat with Asda pet insurance.

[smartcarnotsosmartdriver]

I'm hugely anxious about anything happening to my two. I went with boughbymany. The limit per illness is high and the payments are fair. I'm around £13 a month for my two, one is 3 and one is 4. I looked at petplan but found it very expensive.

[TheQueef]

I went with the cheapest, no idea if they are any good but I couldn't really find much about peoples claims experience with vet insurance.

[dementedpixie]

Also with Bought by Many. Have a lifetime policy and they paid out no problem when I claimed for one of my cats.

[dementedpixie]

Also found petplan too expensive

[NannyPear]

I'm with Petplan. More expensive than others but premiums don't increase when you claim (though will increase with "inflation"). Always paid out no problem.

In terms of which policy to get, definitely make sure it's lifetime cover, and a bare minimum of £4,000 per condition per year.

Petplan, MoreThan, Direct Line, M&S all have good reviews.

[fleariddenmoggie]

I have just insured my kitten with Morethan - the policy has up to £8k for one related condition. They were excellent when I had a large claim - £3000- for my dog and paid up without any fuss.

[Vinorosso74]

Petplan are relaible. Go for lifetime cover. They have different levels of cover up to 4k of vet bills (too low in my view) 7k and something higher 10 or 12k
Don't think young klcats can't run up big vet bills. Our 2 year old was ill in the summer which cost 2.5k and I know someone whose kitten broke a leg and has cost 3k so far.

[Coffeeandchocolate10]

You get what you pay for with pet insurance. Petplan are up there as one of the reliable ones - the cheaper ones can be buggers for trying to wriggle out of claims or not pay out. They are the only brand I have had experience of and would recommend.

Yes absolutely take out vet fees cover, unless you can lay your hands on £4k+ for a vets bill. Hopefully your cat will be healthy for years to come but it's certainly not unheard of for young cats to get eg cancer.

[viccat]

Remember whatever you go with, you won't be able to change after any health issues or accidents happen, even if it's just something noted on their vet record as those would then count as pre-existing conditions for a new policy.

So you want to get as comprehensive a cover as possible, as early as possible, when you cat is completely healthy.

And you want lifetime cover which means all conditions will be covered for as long as needed - this is important for chronic conditions or anything recurring, such as allergies, diabetes, kidney disease, recurring cystitis etc.

Petplan has always been good for my cats, they paid out thousands over the years for my senior girl and I've gone with them for all my current cats. As most insurance policies, you hope you'll never need it, but if you do, you'll be glad you have it unless you could easily find £5k+ if something does happen/your cat gets ill.

[titchy]

My vet says that Petplan is the best. He visibly winced when my idiot ex said that he'd insured our cat with Asda pet insurance.

Is you vet also an insurance specialist? Asda don't actually do the insurance you know.

We got a lifetime one for ours. It's badged as 'We love Pets.com' or something similar that sounds and is,
cheap. But it's actually an Equine and Livestock policy, and they've been really quick paying.

[SimonJT]

I’m with petplan £7k per year covered for life, unlike many policies it also covers dental and premiums do not increase when you make a claim.

I have made two claims so far, all with the vet claiming direct so I just paid the £70 deductible. The first was when she broke her rear leg, which as an indoor cat is still a mystery. The second was a really bad gastro episode which required her to stay in for a few days.

[Allergictoironing]

I'm not sure whether I need to go for as vet fees policy as he is relatively healthy and young

Trouble is, you never know when a pet may develop a condition e/g/ a cat I knew was young, fit, healthy, "king cat" of the neighbourhood - then developed epilepsy. Owner had years of meds to pay for, which a decent lifetime insurance would have covered.

Also, accidents do happen. If the cat gets hit by a car, or has a fight with another cat, the vets fees can go well into 4 figures within a couple of days including consultation, meds, dressings, x-rays, care at the hospital, possibly operations etc.

[TroysMammy]

I'm with Petplan for Haribo £7,000 for life. I had £4,000 for life when Troy was alive. Sadly he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the £4,000 was nearly used up from diagnosis in the January until he died in the middle of May.

[Elieza]

I was with Tesco for my cat but it wasn’t a lifetime policy. They paid out thousands for vet fees no problem. They were good until my cat got into her teens and then her premiums jumped exponentially whether or not I claimed the previous year. Started a tenner a month for the kitten and ended up £86 a month as a teenaged cat. I have given up insuring at this point and am just hoping she stays well as I can’t afford that per month.

I don’t know the deal with whole of life policies, perhaps someone can advise? Do they go up every year whether you claim or not, ie is it better to get one as you know your premium will stay roughly the same like house insurance or do they go up annually like regular pet insurance as the pet gets older. Do they go up based on claim history? Can you get protected no claims? Or will they end up unaffordable like mine did after paying premiums for ten years and only claiming a couple of thousands in vet fees?

[TheForgetfulCat]

BoughtbyMany have just been very efficient in paying out a £1k claim for my beastie following a urinary blockage and 48 hours in the vets. Unusually they were a) cheaper than our previous and b) would insure a pre existing condition if he hadn't had symptoms for 2 years, which he hasn't.

[TheForgetfulCat]

Hadn't sorry! Obviously he has now ...

[RageAgainstTheVendingMachine]

So those with petplan lifetime policies how much is that per month?
Hoping to get a rescue kitten next month but need to make sure I have got all the costs correct first.
In fact, it would be really helpful if any of you could say how much your cats cost in the first and subsequent years as I want to make an informed rather than an emotional decision and to be able to afford to spoil it rotten!
Thx in advance

[viccat]

We have Petplan Covered for Life with the £7k annual limit. My cats came as pairs, it's about £32 per month per pair and hasn't seemed to go up yet at renewal.

I had the same but with a £4k limit per year for my previous cat and hers was £39 per month by the time she was 17, we claimed lots on it though and the increase didn't seem to be related to claims (as it stayed the same for several years after we started claiming for 2 chronic conditions). They do tend to go up as your cat becomes a senior and you have a larger excess.

I believe the quote you're given depends on your details and address and the cat's details i.e. they ask for the breed etc.

[Toddlerteaplease]

I've used Tesco's for my girls. They've been excellent with my £20k if claims.

[TroysMammy]

I pay £17 per month for Haribo. He's 4 1/2 months old and a short haired moggie.

[dementedpixie]

I pay £19.36 in total for 2 cats with Bought by Many for £15k of cover on a lifetime policy. Mine are nearly 3 and have had 1 claim during this policy. Dont know what my new premium will be as renewal date is in January.

[SimonJT]

I pay £16.42 a month, she’s a four year old moggy.

[Coffeeandchocolate10]

@Ironfloor269
Obviously vets aren't insurance specialists but they do have to deal with pet insurance companies almost daily. They know which ones pay out quickly and easily and which are a nightmare to deal with.

E&L are nicknamed Entertaining and Laughable - they are easily the most widely recommended against by a country mile in the horse world and so many people have horror stories about them. The two private practices I know refuse to register you as a client if you're with E&L it's that bad. They were atrocious to deal with to me, and the only person I know of who has/had a policy with them who has had reasonable dealings with them is a solicitor and even she says they "need a firm hand." I'm genuinely very pleased for you that you've successfully claimed with no trouble from them - they've been a nightmare to thousands.

[Vinorosso74]

We pay £36 a month with Petplan covered for life with £7k vet fees. The amounts vary according to whereabouts you live too. We're in London so insurance is higher.