Cat insurance

[BrieHugger]

Hi cat servants. His Lordship’s insurance has gradually increased from £10 a month to now £30 a month, he’ll be 8 later this year. Lazy sod does go out but mainly sticks to our garden and the field behind us.

I’ve just rung my existing insurer (Post Office) and they said nothing they can do to reduce the premium, but I then looked on Compare and they do the same policy for £16. Bit miffed really.

Any advice? Shall I just move it? He has no existing conditions and, touch wood, has only ever been to the vet for annual jab and check up.

What to do?!

I use Tesco and they were excellent. They reduced my premium when I spoke to them.

Tesco is one of the ones that came up cheapest, about £15 a month I think.

I need to avoid the ones that require a 20% payment towards treatment, right? And I want lifetime/unlimited? It’s confusing!

Unfortunately there are no longer any policies where you don't have to pay a proportion of the bill. It's on all policies. When I insured my new three year old, they told me that. Fortify 12 year old was on an old policy and didn't have to do that.

I was paying £1337 a month with my first two cats. So anything less is a relief!

It looks like some of them are only 5%, I need to sit to down and work it all out. I hate adulting.

Wtf? Why?!?

Where your cats actually tigers?!

Ffs were*

😮

Magic and Maia ran up bills of £26k. Cheddar was costing £46 a month. At 12 with no claims except her last illness.

£137 not 1337!

Old boy was about £89pcm with Pet Plan and the excess was £100 and 20% from about age 10?

The girl kits are about £40 pcm. Tempting to put £100pcm in the bank for them Nd let it mount up. Then I read about bills like that mentioned by @Toddlerteaplease ????

The horror bill stories are what’s put me off changing the policy. A friend recently cancelled her dog’s insurance as it had skyrocketed, a month later she wound up with a £4k bill for a bowel problem. Maybe I should just leave it!!

I wouldn't cancel unless you can afford a possible high 4 figure (or worse) bill. Or several in quick succession as usually happens. But definitely shop around if yours has no claims yet. I found Animal Friends to be quite reasonable but I can't remember what the excess is as ours have been with them for about 8 years now.

I stupidly reduced my petlan policy to the lower (£3k) cover on my two older cats, and then when I tried to increase it for my 13 year old after the other died (with treatment before they died totalling £8k) they wouldn't allow it. I moved to waggel, who I have found really good and have a set £250 contribution for each condition, rather than a 20% copayment. You can also toggle up and down the annual cover and see how it effects the price.

This issue with moving of course is that anything prior is a pre existing condition so won't be covered. Luckily our 13 year old had only previously ever suffered with sickness/diarrhoea, but since switching he has been diagnosed with early heart diseases and arthritis, both of which Waggel are fully covering. My advice to new owners is always to fund a good policy (minimum 10k annual cover for life, ideally with dental), and stick with it.

Will the new company insure your cat for the same amount? What will the premium and the co-pay be once your cat turns eight and is classed as a senior?

Have you looked at Petwise for senior cats 7+?

Waggel are cheap for older cats. I would shop around

Sainsburys do a lifetime policy with no co-pay at the start, but after a certain age (8 or 9?) they introduce the co-pay, so it might be that your cat is at the age when the co-pay kicks in. Certainly I would have been happy with £30 but my cat was a frequent flier at the vets.
If there are definitely no pre-existing conditions, then there doesn't seem to be any detriment to changing policy. But once your cat is treated for something/anything then you are best to stay where you are. Even an eye infection can be seen as pre-existing if they develop ulcers later etc.

Is Waggel a good one to start out with? We have 13 week old kittens and need something - our 'free trial' on Petplan that the sanctuary set us up with is about to expire. I already pay into an annual plan at the vet, which is NOT insurance but a really economic way of spreading the cost and reducing the price of their routine healthcare (vaccinations, flea/worm treatment, and two check ups a year).

We didn't actually insure our old boy, who died last year after a run-in with a quick and aggressive cancer (horrible for us because sudden, but actually 'cheap' in terms of bills, as he only had one biopsy and some blood tests before it became apparent he was very ill and was PTS within the week I mean, it was a bloody horrible week but I know the bills could have been SO much worse). Before that, he had hyperthyroidism (he was 13) and we went for a thyroidectomy. I think that bill, including blood tests etc, came to around 1500 quid. And before then, he had nothing much that I can think of. A bit of cystitis before diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. Bless him, he was a relatively cheap cat in terms of bills, so our stupid gamble paid off! But I'm well aware we were lucky. I'm terrified at these stories of sky-high bills.

I still don't know whether to gamble and put aside some money each month. Obviously putting away say, 30 quid per cat a month will cover a mild illness or accident in the first few years but not anything catastrophic. Whereas Tesco would take 40 pounds for the pair per month on their mid-range policy, with an excess of 120, and a cap per year, and that I assume increases after 8 plus you then pay 20% of the fee on top of the excess! Waggel comes in cheaper...

Would it be sensible to put money in an account until they approach the older age range and then shop around, or is it really better to get your foot in the door whilst they're uncomplicated and healthy?

Our cats are 6yo , brother and sister.
Both neutered and chipped . Common or garden black moggies .
His insurance is higher than hers . I suppose statistically males are more risk, the policy doesn't have a TickBox If your male cat is a utter wuss who only journeys one garden and leggs it if someone comes to the house