I am getting a brand new kitty, so please tell me which pet insurance would you recommend or which one is a no-no based on your or your friends’ experience. Thank you
This is really as personal as choosing your animal. About.com has good information on policy & price comparisons & questions. Ideally you want a pet insurance with a wellness plan so that your pet is covered for routine visits & dental care, not just sudden illness or emergencies. Many include neuter/spay also. You also want %90 coverage. Get as much for your money as you possible can. I pay a bit more a month but it’s worth it. I don’t feel right about saying which is best or what I use as it could lead to an inappropriate coverage for someone else’s pet & perhaps they’d just purchase it without reading all fine print in the contract. Not that you would, it’s just as I said something you need to scour to get a perfect fit. As for the “worst”, I haven’t read nor heard positive things about Banfleid wellness insurance. It’s the chain vet clinic/hospital located in larger PetSmarts. It can only be used at the location you take it out at. And though most wellness plans alone ( w/o pet insurance ) don’t cover emergency care, that I know of anyway…your still tied into their contract until it expires even if your animal dies. My vet & his vet pals really are upset with the place & it’s practices. The place has lured clients to only return again to the vets that arn’t McDonald’s. I needed a Sunday vet in a pinch & went there.Yes my kitten was treated well by them, but I felt like a number. I found a lack in bedside manner with the owner that doesn’t exist in my other experiances within a non-chain practise. It was an arm & a leg ( didn’t have insurance then, don’t even know if they take outside insurance ) even with a complementary coupon for first time clients for free office visit & exam. My kitten had a touch of colitis, anti-biotic $10.- ( fine ), I brought in her stool sample for lab $10.- (fine). I asked for her nails to be trimmed around $35-40 bucks! Yes it was a pedicure. I now own my own gizmo.They sticker shock & smile alot the entire time. I apologize for this being so long but one last thing… I have also been to non-chain vets that gouge instead of what’s best for the animal. And I read alout on here of the same. Though you can’t really test drive vets, you can arm yourself with as much research as possible on feline health. We shouldn’t expect all vets to agree on the same treatment but a good vet will not use a bandaid in lue of a prognoses & will show + give you information on specific needs if your animal has an existing condition or maintainable disease so that your not going in every week. The friends you trust that take their pets to the same vet year after year a good start in finding your vet. Blessings & P.S a premium wet feline food is as important! Research my dear, all you can
Jill E
2 years ago
Direct Line is excellent.
It is a wise thing to do. I have 2 cats and they have both developed conditions that need continuous ongoing expensive treatment. It would have costs me thousands if I’d had to pay it myself, but Direct Line continues to pay for everything except for their special diet food.
An example of how expensive vet fees can be. One of my cats needed a bladder operation in April for encrusted bladder stones. It was £500 and Direct Line paid the money directly to the Vet.
For the weekly and monthly veterinary costs I just put in a bill every 3 or 6 months to Direct Line for all veterinary expenses during that time and they pay out straight away.
On the other hand I had a cat insured for 13 years and never used the insurance until a few months before she was put to sleep. But that was over £500 as well and it made her more comfortable in her last few months.
It’s well worth doing.
with bun in oven
2 years ago
Why would you insure a cat? I have owned many through the years, the only time they ever went to the vet was to get neutered or spayed. It is a big waste of money.
amivon27
2 years ago
This is really as personal as choosing your animal. About.com has good information on policy & price comparisons & questions. Ideally you want a pet insurance with a wellness plan so that your pet is covered for routine visits & dental care, not just sudden illness or emergencies. Many include neuter/spay also. You also want %90 coverage. Get as much for your money as you possible can. I pay a bit more a month but it’s worth it. I don’t feel right about saying which is best or what I use as it could lead to an inappropriate coverage for someone else’s pet & perhaps they’d just purchase it without reading all fine print in the contract. Not that you would, it’s just as I said something you need to scour to get a perfect fit. As for the “worst”, I haven’t read nor heard positive things about Banfleid wellness insurance. It’s the chain vet clinic/hospital located in larger PetSmarts. It can only be used at the location you take it out at. And though most wellness plans alone ( w/o pet insurance ) don’t cover emergency care, that I know of anyway…your still tied into their contract until it expires even if your animal dies. My vet & his vet pals really are upset with the place & it’s practices. The place has lured clients to only return again to the vets that arn’t McDonald’s. I needed a Sunday vet in a pinch & went there.Yes my kitten was treated well by them, but I felt like a number. I found a lack in bedside manner with the owner that doesn’t exist in my other experiances within a non-chain practise. It was an arm & a leg ( didn’t have insurance then, don’t even know if they take outside insurance ) even with a complementary coupon for first time clients for free office visit & exam. My kitten had a touch of colitis, anti-biotic $10.- ( fine ), I brought in her stool sample for lab $10.- (fine). I asked for her nails to be trimmed around $35-40 bucks! Yes it was a pedicure. I now own my own gizmo.They sticker shock & smile alot the entire time. I apologize for this being so long but one last thing… I have also been to non-chain vets that gouge instead of what’s best for the animal. And I read alout on here of the same. Though you can’t really test drive vets, you can arm yourself with as much research as possible on feline health. We shouldn’t expect all vets to agree on the same treatment but a good vet will not use a bandaid in lue of a prognoses & will show + give you information on specific needs if your animal has an existing condition or maintainable disease so that your not going in every week. The friends you trust that take their pets to the same vet year after year a good start in finding your vet. Blessings & P.S a premium wet feline food is as important! Research my dear, all you can
Jill E
2 years ago
Direct Line is excellent.
It is a wise thing to do. I have 2 cats and they have both developed conditions that need continuous ongoing expensive treatment. It would have costs me thousands if I’d had to pay it myself, but Direct Line continues to pay for everything except for their special diet food.
An example of how expensive vet fees can be. One of my cats needed a bladder operation in April for encrusted bladder stones. It was £500 and Direct Line paid the money directly to the Vet.
For the weekly and monthly veterinary costs I just put in a bill every 3 or 6 months to Direct Line for all veterinary expenses during that time and they pay out straight away.
On the other hand I had a cat insured for 13 years and never used the insurance until a few months before she was put to sleep. But that was over £500 as well and it made her more comfortable in her last few months.
It’s well worth doing.
with bun in oven
2 years ago
Why would you insure a cat? I have owned many through the years, the only time they ever went to the vet was to get neutered or spayed. It is a big waste of money.