Anal gland issue - get cat insurance before vets visit?

[myhouseistoocold]

I posted recently as my cat has poo stuck to her bum and it's a mess. I've managed to have a look with a torch and can see her bum is all red and swollen so using google it looks like she has problems with her anal glands. The treatment differs depending on the cause of the problem.

I've only used the vet once for dental work so am not familiar with costs for this type of issue.

Should I be trying to get pet insurance before taking her to the vets next week? And can anyone help me understand whether it's better to get time limited or lifetime cover and what an appropriate amount of £ per year or condition I should be aiming for.

I have a feeling this anal gland problem could keep coming back (I've read about some cats going every 8 weeks to have them emptied) so want to make it as cheap as I can for myself. Thanks!

There is usually a exclusion period before you can claim, my dogs is 14 days. Can your cat wait that long? If it’s an ongoing issue and you see the Vet first it can be considered and existing condition.

Meant to say re cat waiting that long doesn’t sound a good idea.

There is always a 14 day period before you can claim on insurance, and even if you wait 14 days, if the vet says “how long has this been going on?” and you say “a week or so” it’ll still be classed as a pre-existing condition. My vets only charge £10 to empty anal glands - the nurse usually does it. It’s rare for cats to have anal gland problems though, so it might be a different problem in the first place.

Too late to get insurance unfortunately... That would be fraud if you lied to the insurance company. When you take up the policy they ask if your pet has had any health issues whether it required vet treatment or not and you will need to answer honestly.

Take your cat to the vet on Monday; hopefully it will be sorted with a course of antibiotics and having the anal glands flushed.

I had a cat who unfortunately kept getting recurring problems and ended up having surgery to remove her anal glands. It cost about £4000 all in with the vet visits and surgery... (and I had insurance)

You can still get insurance for other conditions, maybe a good wake up call to do that. A lifetime policy is the best one and the level of cover depends on how risk averse you are... I have £7k annual limits on ours, if they incurred more costs I would be able to pay it as a one off.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I did wonder if it would be too late to get it but when I looked up quotes there was no mention of that.

I'll get her booked in on Monday and keep my fingers crossed we end up with the £10 emptying of glands and not the £4000 visits and surgery!

How did you get on?

The vet prescribed antibiotics and thankfully the problem is now gone.