Pet Insurance? Do you have it?

Hi everyone.

I was wondering if most people on here have pet insurance for their cats. After Zoey got ill and vet bills started racking up, I swore my next cat would have insurance. However, after looking around a bit and considering the costs, I'm not sure anymore.

The best value I could find here in Canada is PC Pet Insurance for about $23/month. That includes 80% coverage, up to $5000/year (limits for accidents and illnesses are separate, per accident/illness). With 2 kittens, that would be about $46/month.

When I thought about Zoey, I figured I had her for 3 months before she got sick. So, for the $69 I would have paid, I would have saved about $1600 in vet bills. That said, I don't think they would have covered her illness because she hadn't been vaccinated yet. She was also sick from the day we brought her home, we just didn't know how severely.

So...2 new kittens....seem very healthy and will be vaccinated, indoor cats. Assuming the cats live 10 years (hopefully more), that's a cost of $2760/cat. I know if they get sick or injured, it will be well worth it. But, if they don't, or any illnesses they have are minor, it is a lot of money.

There's also the peace of mind issue. Right now, I'm not certainly not rich, but I have the flexibility to make financial decisions as needs. But, as I get older, have kids, buy a house, etc., things will likely become less flexible. It would be nice to know it is covered.

I'm just thinking outloud (or in text), but I'm leaning toward insurance.

Do you have insurance? If you do, have you had good experiences?

Anyone in Canada with experiences with any of the major insurers (PC Financial, Pet Care, Pet Plan, Vet Insurance)?

Sorry folks! I should probably search the forums BEFORE creating a new posting.

I found some info, which doesn't surprise me. I know that insurance companies need to make money, so they rely on the fact that many people who pay for insurance will never use it. It's the same with any other kind of insurance.

I am, however, still curious to see a general "hand count" of those who do have insurance.

Also, it would be great to hear from anyone with experience with Canadian pet insurers, especially PC.

Thanks!

I do. I live in the Uk though, and I think pet insurance is better over here than in the US. I wouldn't be without it. I've had 3 cats (one now at rainbow bridge) and have made claims for all 3. My bridge baby, Magpie, died 2 years ago due to a blood clot in his neck. Vet treatmemt cost £2000 (approx £4000) dollars and nearly went a lot higher as he deteriorated and died before they could give him a new drug to disperse the blood clot. It could very easily have been £4000 - £5000 and I could not have afforded that without insurance. It would have broken my heart to have him pts because I couldn't afford the suggested treatment. The second claim was for a dental for Jaffa - he had a couple of extractions, pre-op bloods etc. and it ended up costing about £400. My third claim was when Mosi swallowed some string and had to have an emergency operation. Operation cost about £500. In all 3 cases, the insurance paid the full cost minus the excess (about £50).

The time to insure is when they're young and healthy, as any company will exclude pre-existing conditions. I'd advise reading the small print very carefully and make sure you know exactly what is and isn't covered. My insurance covers everything except routine preventative treatment, eg vaccinations, neutering, flea and worm treatment. There is an excess of about £55 on Mosi's policy and a percentage of the cost for Jaffa now that he's older (he'll be 11 in June). I can claim up to £6000 per year each year and they are both covered for life, so I will be able to continue to claim for any chronic conditions they may develop. They were both insured as kittens so have no pre-existing conditions that wouldn't be covered.

For me, insurance provides peace of mind. Without it, I would be limited in what treatment I could afford should they become ill. But it is a gamble and, like you say, insurance companies are in it to make money so they rely on getting in more money than they pay out. An alternative is to put some money aside each month. I don't do that because I'm too weak willed not to spend it and I couldn't have saved up enough to pay for Magpie's treatment that way.

I have insurance for my 3 cats. I only started it about 6 months ago and i'm so glad I did, cause a couple of months ago one of my cats became ill with a uti. He had a blockage 3 times and 2 bladder operations. The final bill was over £3000, there's no way I could have afforded to pay out that amount of money. I would never be without insurance now, it was a life saver.

I do not have it. We talked about getting it but it would have been another bill. Stripe didnt qualify because she had Crf. I talked to other people about it and they didnt like it either so we decided not get it with the other Cats. Coco dosent Qualify. Stripe was Pts in Sept 2000 so it has been a long time since we talked about it. Meeko was turned down to because she had been very Sick.

I live in Canada but never got insurance for my cats. I always wondered...if your cat is sick, are they gonna pay if they think you'r feeding your cat the wrong food or you didnt have a checkup every year, teeth problem, etc...