Pet plan/insurance for new rescue kitten

[LargeProsecco]

I'm going to take out insurance for my lovely new rescue kitten - obligatory picture attached.

I'm confused about the difference between pet insurance & plans - some seem to cover vet checks & nail clipping, others more for illness/accidents.

My gorgeous boy is 4 months old, will be neutered in the new year & is long haired. The RSPCA said he should be an indoor kitten as he is long haired.

I've got quotes from pet plan & bought by many- they seem broadly similar.

Any thoughts or tips when trying to get cover?

Omg those whiskers!!!! Health plans from the vet are separate from
Insurance. You may want one to help spread Costs. But it's not essential. The best insurance you can afford definitely is essential.

Tesco have been fab with my cats.

Health plans are a way for vets to tie you into unneccesary treatments and visits under the guise of saving you money.
Insurance is there to cover essential veterinary treatment.

The RSPCA said he should be an indoor kitten as he is long haired.
Your kitten is gorgeous. That advice from the RSPCA is total rubbish

Went should he be an indoor cat because he's long haired? I don't understand what difference it makes. He's gorgeous

My cat is long haired and goes outside. He gets matted sometimes so you need to keep up with the brushing or find a groomer

P.s. I'm with Bought by Many and also have a vet plan

I'm with Bought By Many - a big advantage has been that our regular vets & specialist vets were happy to direct claims. My dog has run up nearly £7k since July so it was great that I didn't have to find the money as the insurance paid the vets directly.
Petplan are usually approved for direct claims too.
Might be worth checking with your vets who they are happy to do direct claims with if that might be beneficial for you.
Most policies don't cover non-accidental dental issues (most older cats will need some teeth out and a scale and polish at some point) so worth considering if you want that included (I didn't but have a savings pot for that).

Vet plans / health care plans are usually for spreading the cost of routine preventative care (vacc/flea/worm etc) over the year. I don't personally use them - I use Vets4Pets and am on their Vacc4Life scheme instead (£99, covers all vaccines for life).

Not need for a long-haired cat to be indoors only, but you will need to groom them so get them used to it early.

Thanks for all the helpful replies - lots of good information there.

The RSPCA said he should be an indoor kitten as he is long haired

What utter horseshit! That's surely not written advice anywhere is it? Is it something someone at the centre said? Regardless, it's rubbish.