Big vet bills for an elderly cat?

[fivetriangulartrees]

What kind of major vet bills have your elderly cats faced? I'm trying to decide whether to renew my 15 year old's insurance, or let her go uninsured.

I've just had a renewal letter saying her annual premium will be £2500. Do I pay it or keep it aside instead?

My cat has always been well insured and her insurance has paid out various times over the years, including for an expensive injury when she was very young, and for dental work, which other policies often exclude.

How much more expensive could the vet get in the next few years? Thanks!

We've got a cat a little older than yours @fivetriangulartrees . We stopped insuring him some years ago due to the expense and haven't regretted it. We do have enough money to cover trips to the vet and expensive treatment if necessary. Our old boy has had quite a few dental problems which as you say aren't covered by insurance anyway.

We stopped our elderly cats around the 15ish mark but kept him on an accident only plan for a couple of years. We did have some smallish vet bills but by that point, I wouldn't have put him through major surgery for something like cancer anyway. He stayed with us another 4 years

Our 16 year old cat still had insurance when he died, but he had a lifelong condition that they had always paid out for, which even in his last years meant we got about about half back. In his last few months we actually got more than we'd paid as his cremation was covered 😥. We wouldn't have done anything major, though at that stage.
Edited to add that he did have a bit of a habit (3 times!) of eating grass & it going up the back of his nose, resulting in an expensive operation.

Thank you. My cat goes for a regular check-up for a symptom that is currently fine but might eventually turn cancerous. I think I need to understand whether it would be in her best interests to go through the treatment if that happened, and how much it would cost if so. I'll have a chat with the vet.

@Wonderknicks My son has done that a few times with spaghetti; thank goodness he hasn't needed medical intervention so far...

Have a look at this guide to pet insurance (new as of yesterday). Very helpful, trustworthy website that has saved me hundreds if not thousands of pounds over the past few years.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut-pet-insurance-costs/