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/

In 40 years I have never insured any of my 9 cats and the only bill I ever had more than £200 was 7 years ago for radioactive iodine treatment which clocked up £3,000. The cat in question is by my side now, 19 years old with kidney failure and IBD having monthly injections and the vet still costs me less than £400 per YEAR. She would not survive anaesthesia so even a dental would be out of the question. I think you need to be brutally honest with yourself and have that conversation with the vet about what you would put your cat through and if it's in the cat's best interests. From there look at cost, the chances of it happening, and whether that insurance still looks sensible.

On the other hand I had a cat that had to have an emergency operation that cost £7,000. I was glad I had insurance then. He was only six at the time though. When he was older his insurance company stopped operating and I couldn't get another insurance company to cover him. His immune system started to break down when he was about 14 and we funded antibiotics, steroids and other things for about a year and a half. Eventually, we had to have him PTS but I wouldn't have put him through another operation or any gruelling treatment regardless.

I think it would depend on what you wanted to do should the cat get ill. If you want to have them treated then get insurance. If you would have them put down or let them die naturally then don't bother. Uk vets fees have got ridiculously expensive. Even the putting to sleep charges which is really a cultural thing. I have family in Japan and they said it just doesn't happen there, pets just die naturally they are not put to sleep.

My experience is with our dog but we stopped her insurance when she tore her cruciate ligament and the insurers she wasn't covered because she was over 10 (by a month) and it was a common injury for her breed. She's now 15 and none of our vet bills have been high enough that we would have claimed anyway . . . thankfully we are in the position to be able to afford a higher bill but I'm glad I'm no longer paying the extortionate insurance costs and would have rather put money aside in a savings account to dip into if she needed treatment rather than line the pockets of ruthless insurance companies.

That doesn't necessarily sound like it's the right thing for the animal. Part of being a responsible pet owner is knowing when your beloved animal is in pain and ending that quickly for them (if recovery is impossible).

Cat's are not put to sleep?
Cruel
Much like the way the homeless are treated in Japan.

I would consider any cover for the cat if it was needing general care or end of life.
Our vet suggested the life and treatment arr sometimes best to let a cat go than rigerous treatment.
Vets in Nz are so expense we no longer own as many pet's.

I have family in Japan and they said it just doesn't happen there, pets just die naturally they are not put to sleep

Does that include if they are suffering or in pain? If so, how bizarre and awful for pets. I think it’s the biggest kindness you can do for your pets if they are in that circumstance.

Could you put that money aside in our savings account instead?

I wasn't expecting this thread from February to be resurrected but, for completeness, I suppose I should say how things turned out.

I decided to stick with the expensive insurance and thank goodness I did, because just a few days later she began having health issues. Long story short, the insurance covered some large bills over the next three months, until my lovely cat suddenly deteriorated and was pts. I miss her very much!

Having the insurance made those last few months much simpler to navigate and I can't fault the insurance company for their support.

Sorry for the loss of your cat 💐 and I’m glad it turned out to be the right decision!

Very glad the route you took made the last months easier for you, and sorry it ended that way. Unfortunately, they just don’t live nearly long enough, even the super old ones🥹.