Topic: cat insurance advice

[grawrc]

Little kitten arrives on Sunday with 4 weeks' Petplan insurance. Do any of you cat owners out there have any advice on where I should go for long-term insurance?

Currently paying Tesco £14.71 a month for insurance for my 8 year old cocker spaniel pregnant dog but it is not very full insurance.

Sometimes think pet insurance is a rip-off. I've never claimed but suspect my premium is paying for the millions that do.

[emmy1978]

I didn't have the cat insured, then she was run over and her op and care cost £350 odd.  :'( I have since paid nearly that in premiums for pet insurance and she's been fine.  ::) I bet if I cancel it she'll injure herself... :(

Oh and we're with morethan... :)

[GrannieAnnie]

In all the years we had dogs and cats while the children were growing up we never had insurance and only one broken leg and one cut side.
These were animals that were both inside and outside pets. I cannot imagine paying a monthly sum like that for a pet! Really puts them into a "luxury item" bracket!

[asbean]

With our two cats we didn't take out insurance, and I think over the years (nearly 13!!!) we still would have paid out more in premiums than we have paid for treatment.

It was only last year that we had the most expensive bills, £300+ for each of them within a couple of months.

Each time we're asked if we have insurance, and I am sure it's putting up the cost of care.  Our local vet practice was independent but when the head vet retired it was taken over by accountants - cvsvets - and costs almost doubled.  They spun me a yarn about their costs going up as well, but I think they do this because they can.  And if the majority of bills are covered by insurance, then they can charge what they like.  I run a business and if I doubled my prices in a recession I'd get no work.

The "out of hours" service is amazing - they have a vet and nurse on standby all night, and it costs £140 just to visit, that's before any treatment.

 >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

[detailista]

If I remember rightly there was cashback available on Quidco if you took out a policy. 

[lewic]

A friend who has a dog puts the equivalent of the insurance premium into a bank account for the pet. So far they havent needed to claim and have a good amount of money in there now. Good idea if it wouldnt break the bank if you got an expensive bill early on.

[grawrc]

Thanks for all the advice. This is really scary! He arrives on Sunday and I haven't had a cat for 20 years! Will I pass muster!!!! :o :o :o :o :o :o

[grotbag]

course you will,how old is it  13 wks ??

[asbean]

Kittens love cardboard boxes.  Get lots of them and cut holes in them so he can climb from one to the other.   Keeps them occupied for hours  :) :) :) :)

[grawrc]

Yes GB he was born on 5/11/2009 so I'm expecting fireworks!!! ;) Just a wee bit worried about how "catsafe" the house needs to be and what happens when I need to go out and leave him alone.

[emmy1978]

When Biccy was tiny we closed all the upstairs doors when we went out but other than that I don't think we cat-proofed. I'm so excited for you-he'll be gorgeous company and kittens are so funny-great entertainment. Get some tin foil and roll into a small ball-most kittens will play fetch.  ;D

[Poppy Mole]

Any photos yet?
Bit late but I agree with putting equivalent amount of premiums away yourself - that way hopefully in later years you will still have the money yourself.

[grawrc]

Sorry I ended up not getting him. I said on another thread but I forgot about this one. It turned out he had a heart problem.

Ironically I am now claiming on my dog insurance as my dog  has injured her back.

[halfofmanic]

They spun me a yarn about their costs going up as well, but I think they do this because they can.  And if the majority of bills are covered by insurance, then they can charge what they like.  I run a business and if I doubled my prices in a recession I'd get no work.

The "out of hours" service is amazing - they have a vet and nurse on standby all night, and it costs £140 just to visit, that's before any treatment.


We have been there with vets fees   Vet checked our dog out recommended some treatment     an injection   we asked how much it would be     he fobbed us off by saying he didn't know the receptionist would tell us    being unaware  of vets at the time   we didn't have enough money with us   and better half had to stay there while I went to cash machine        I think it depends on the vet    we have a great vet now  she seems to be really interested in the pets  the other vet didn't seem to be bothered      We have our staffy  insured now with More Than    But when we had the cats  2 of them   with no insurance    eldest one was 16  no vets bills apart from vaccinations    had 4/5 dogs in the past  no pet insurance    but you get frightened into it   ::) :o 

[grawrc]

My brother (in Switzerland) has Suzy's brother. He decided not to get pet insurance reasoning that over the past 30 years they have barely used it and have paid out thousands in premiums. Tito (the dog) has recently developed pancreatitis and they have already forked out well over £1000 in vet's bills. So who knows which is wiser?

[bridgehouse]

Its hard to decide to ensure or not ensure, my old Birman cat Gracie is almost twenty, and I have never had to  make a claim for her, and the premiums go up every year with pet plan.
    My daughter did not ensure her cat Sally, and when Sally was hit by a car she cost a fortune in vet bills .
                    June.
   

[tonybloke]

Is this insurance so that car-owners can claim the cleaning costs after running the 'loved' (let out on roads) animal??

[Le-y]

I think its really important to have, i have two cats from the same litter.

Hazel contracted pneumonia when she was about 3 and was very very sick, our vet bills would've shot through the roof if we haddnt had insurance.

the same cat also suffers dermatitis and we get assistance with that.

and her sister recently went into the vets for an overnight stay and lots of tests due to going blind, they worked out that she has a few problems now in her old age (they're 15 now) and her tests came to £500 we wouldn't have been able to afford it if we had not got insurance!

i insure my cats with petplan now, they give good insurance, pay my vets direct and never hesitated!

oh and they're the only ones i can find who will insure such old cats, though they do charge me £37 per month for the both cats  ::)