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Pet insurance for older cat - advice needed

2 replies

Lou88x · 21/04/2023 19:11

Last year I re-homed an 11 year old cat. Her owner had passed away and their family advertised her online. When we visited, the family said she had no health problems only some minor dental work.

This wasn’t quite true. We took her for a check up and the vet found that she had untreated hyperthyroidism and would need medication for the rest of her life. Today, she has been to the vet because of a painful red lump on her head. The vet said it might be an infection or possibly a growth (worst case scenario being cancer.) They gave me some
steroid cream for it and I have to return soon for a follow up. They might have to sedate her and remove it for testing. I feel so sad about this because we haven’t even had her for a year. I’m also worried about paying for all of the necessary treatment.

I didn’t get pet insurance for her because I thought she was too old and would be difficult to insure but now I think it may be a good idea. I’ve never insured a pet before and have some questions:

  • Would the insurance cover the cost of her hyperthyroidism medication? It is £30 per month. I’m unsure, because it’s a pre existing condition.
  • Would it cover future medications/ appointments/ treatment?
  • Will they need a full medical history for a quote? I don’t even have this because it wasn’t provided by the previous owner. I contacted her previous vet, who sent it to our new vet so should I ask them to email it to me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’m very worried for my cat because she’s a lovely little thing and I don’t want her to have anything awful like cancer 😔

OP posts:
JohnNutLips · 21/04/2023 22:34

It’s very unlikely to cover any existing conditions, or any further treatment for any condition you have ongoing - so that would cover the hyperthyroidism and unfortunately the lump on the head whatever it turns out to be.
That would means insurance would only cover any new conditions that you haven’t already consulted a vet on. There will also likely be a clause about not being able to claim for certain things within a certain period of the start of the insurance. There may also be restrictions on what they will cover due to her age. It’s worth getting a few quotes and seeing what they’d cover before making a decision.
The issue is that an older cat is much more likely to require treatment and make claims, so the premiums will reflect that.
I’ve had insurance on mine since they were kittens, started off about £10 a month per cat but has gradually increased as they got older - now about £18 per month per cat.

I am unsure if they need a full history to quote, but you may find that if you took insurance out and made a claim for something you later find out was “existing” pre-policy then they would refuse to pay out ☹️

I’d suggest getting some quotes and waiting to see what treatment the lump needs - hopefully it’s just a cyst that clears up.

Lou88x · 22/04/2023 09:49

Thank you for your reply @JohnNutLips thats very helpful. Really hoping this is a cyst that clears up.

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