February 21st, 2010 → 12:38 pm @ admin // 14 Comments
OK – I’ve never taken it out for previous pets and was lucky enough not to need it. My friend’s old cat got some kind of urinary tract problem that was treated ok, but then some time later, she got the same problem back but was going to be expensive to treat but couldnt get insurance as it was an underlying illness. So, it has made me feel cautious. I have a 5 month old kitten who is very healthy, but if I dont insure her now, will I be able to get cover if she gets ill in the future? Also, there are so many different policies, I dont know what I should be looking for. She is an ordinary moggy – not pedigree, but I love her and would hate if something happened to her that I couldnt afford to treat. Anyway, what I want to know is – can you recommend a policy and why? Also – are there any companies to avoid like the plague and why? Please only give answers that refer to UK policies.
Thanks.
Gem*
6 months ago
My pet insurance is with Tesco and its pretty good. You can insure a cat up to age 8 so you still have a while to do it if you are going to. But obviously if your cat got ill (god forbid) and you didn’t have insurance then you couldn’t take a policy out then claim. Personally I would take out a policy because vets bills are very expensive!!
urbantig
6 months ago
I am with petplan and have been happy with their service. I’ve claimed 3 times (for 3 different cats) and had no problems getting money back. The first claim was for emergency treatment for a cat with a thrombosis in the neck. Vet treatment cost nearly £2000 and petplan paid it all, minus the excess. 2nd time was for a dental (which not all companies cover), and the 3rd time was when one of my cats swallowed some string and needed an emergency operation to find it. Again, no problems getting the money.
Unfortuantely premiums with most companies are going up as pet insurance becomes more popular and is one of the most claimed upon types of insurance.
You are right that the time to insure her is before she has any problems. Once she’s been to the vet for something that will become a pre-existing condition and they will not cover her for any future conditions that could be related to that.
What to look for:
- lifetime cover
- max amount per year not per condition (means the max amount is renewed each year so if your cat gets a chronic condition the money isn’t going to run out once the max amt is reached
- max amount of at least £4000 but preferably more
I would get lots of quotes online and compare them. But bear in mind that no 2 policies are exactly the same. Check the excess (the amount per claim you will have to pay) and look to see how that goes up with your cat’s age, what will be excluded (some policies will only pay for dental work that is needed as the result of an accident) and exactly what it covers. Bear in mind that many companies use what are known as loss-leaders – a low premium to attract people but when you come to renew the premium goes up a lot.
Price isn’t everything – you want good coverage and if you are getting a policy through a 3rd party eg. someone like a supermarket or the rspca, look to see who the underwriter is and make sure it is someone who has been in the business for a while and has a good reputation. The pet insurance market is growing and a lot of people are jumping on the bandwagon. However, if they find it’s not profitable they may decide to get out which could leave you in a fix. Also be wary of anyone offering a nil excess. M&S did this for a while but found it wasn’t sustainable and no longer offer it.
I would recommend petplan as they’ve been going for a long time. They are not the cheapest but they are reputable and reliable, imo (also, it’s not on their website for some reason, but they offer a ‘Cat’ policy which offers £6000 cover per year). Axa are also good at the moment. But look into several and then make a decision based on policy, cost, excess and reputation.
One I would avoid is M&S. They used to be good, but they have recently made some changes. Amongst these is a clause saying that before you take your cat to an out of hours vet, you have to ring their careline (staffed by vet nurses but not by vets) to get their advice and permission first. I think that is awful as if you have a seriously sick cat, you are just going to ring your own vet. I returned home one day to find one of my cats lying immobile on the floor. He had a blood clot in his neck and the idea of ringing M&S first before I rant my own vet is ridiculous. But they could get out of paying by saying you didn’t contact them first.
One final thing – some companies try to promote themselves by saying they will pay the vet direct. Most will actually do this, but it’s totally down to vets whether they will accept that way of being paid and most will not. So check that out with your vet first and don’t be attracted to a specific policy because it says it will pay your vet direct.
alomew_r
6 months ago
I have pet insurance. Sam has a history of urinary tract problems and it will not cover preexisting conditions but I keep him insured after a previous cat racked up vet bills and I had to take out a loan. I have also thought about setting aside money that I would spend on the premium but to me this just feels more secure. Be advised however that you MUST keep all vaccinations updated on the insured pet or they can deny the claim. Watch out for the loopholes.
Crystal
6 months ago
I personally am not a fan of the pet insurance. I thought it was too expensive for a “what if”. Instead I deposited the deductible and monthly premium into a checking account specifically for the cats. I still put the monthy and yearly costs into that account. The money isn’t for yearly exams, but mainly an emergency fund in case anything serious ever happened to the cats. I don’t feel like I am throwing my money away by doing that, and I always have the money to take my cats to the vet when they are sick even if my wallet is empty.
Jab
6 months ago
Hi, I insured my cat as soon I got him. I think most pet insurances are much the same. I insure through Direct Line and as he has got older the insurance has increased slightly but for £10.50 a month its only about 33p per day! Worth having – you never know what may happen. I have only had to claim once but he was kept in the vets with a virus, the insurance paid out £280.00.
♥ Bαявιє Dσℓℓ ♥
6 months ago
The Person Above Needs To Seriously Get A Heart Cats Are Like Human’s When Your Mum Dies Just Get Another One. (( Thats The Same As What Your Saying ))
Cruel Mate
Fluffy Cheryl♥
6 months ago
i use pet plan for my 3 moggies, i’ve not had to claim yet but it’s there if i need it. Some insurance policies will only pay out for the 1st 12 months of a treatment so after that if the pet still needs treatment you pay yourself…..Pet plan will pay for ongoing treatment so good if your cat develops things like diabetes.
All insurance companies are the same as in if the pet already has an illness known about before you take out the policy they ill not cover that condition.
in the past i had 2 cats both had grade 2heart murmurs 1 was noticed before i took out the policy, the other cat’s murmur was noticed after i started the policy…Pet plan would not cover the 1st cat against heart conditions but with the 2nd cat because it was noticed after taking out the policy she was covered for heart conditions……it pays to get insurance as early as you can
Ron J
6 months ago
Our moggy is with Marks and Spencer – good value .
Clare B
6 months ago
Go with petplan they arent the cheapest but are certainly the best – and most vets will do a direct claim with petplan because of this. Avoid Direct line and E&L (entertainment and life) like the plague!!! they take months to pay and E&L in particular will try and weasle out of paying!
emilydar
6 months ago
pet insurance is a mine field.. most insurance policies come with very small writing that nobody ever bothers to read, then you try and make a claim and they point at the policy and say sorry not covered and there is always that access which can run from pence to POUNDS.
So first thing to remember is to read all the small print.
Insurance companies will not cover any illness that your cat has already had .. so just suppose the cat has had flu the policy will not cover and further episodes of flu. It also will not cover any disease that your cat could have been vaccinated against.. So you miss an annual booster your cat gets flu , enteritis or Felv forget get claiming.
Some policies will not cover long term illness or dental treatment..
Some insurance companies will sort out the bill directly with the vet others ask you to pay up front then you can claim it back off them.
I know I am totally no help at all in recommending companies sorry ..
how about saving the money that you would spend on an insurance policy that way if your cat becomes ill you will have enough money to pay the ill yourself.
MrsFidge
6 months ago
Pet Plan is the best as they tend to cover everything including dental – slightly mor expensive but i think worth it, as i went with another insurer and my dogs teeth weren’t covered and had to fork out £185. Now with Petplan with all my dogs – everything covered.
willow
6 months ago
get insured now as if get condition they will not do,get pet palls or pet plan as they will treat ongoing treatment every year the others wont,i use pet palls very good and if you claim get money within 7 days
Anonymous
6 months ago
Hi I am with petplan and its great they cats, dogs and even rabbits.My vet recommend Petplan to me and I thought it was because it was the dearest but its not, you pay quite a bit but everything is coverd, whereas places like tesco and asda and other places the less you pay the less you are coverd and even if you pay alot of money you are still not covered on most things.
I have the PetPlan insurance for my dog he is not a pedigree and is a crossbreed, so it cost me £16 pound a month and is covered everything and its just like saving £5 a week witch isnt really alot.
The thing you have got to remember is that you have to pay the full amount up front and then claim it back when you get the form from the vets to send to the insurance company. I didnt know this and it seemed like I was paying it for nothing but as my dog is accident prone and has had serious things happen I need to have him on insurance. We have got a credit car for emergancys but it its more that a grand we have no chance but I think some vets help you with paying etc but not all vets do.
I know if my dog got an illness now touch wood he doesnt, then the insurance will help pay for treatment, as he has got insurance now and not later on. So If you were to insure your cat now he would be covered if he got ill, but its the chance you take, if you can save the money aside incase of emerganceys then it could come in handy if you cat gets injured and its not going to be too expensive say a couple of hundred then this will cover but its the chance you take of putting money aside if you can afford to.
PetPlan do different price of covers and so its up to you to choose the cover you want I went for the dearest as it covers everything and only a few pounds dearers.
I got it online when I got it for my dog after he had an accident and cut his tendon on his leg, I just went online go a quote you just type in your details of you and you pet and then they tell you which ones you can get and then you can pay online and they send out your policy in the post and the list of your payment and the date it need to be in your bank.
javascript:popUp(’https://www.petplan.co.uk/insurance/sale…
Here is the link just follow the instructions and you can get insurance from tomorrow.
whatupwi
6 months ago
pet insurance? wtf.? why would anyone bother with this crap? If something happens to the cat …GET ANOTHER ONE.