pet insurance for kitten - a smart idea?

tnyc

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Hello all,

I know there are other threads about this but they are all quite old. I am wondering, in y'alls opinions, is pet insurance a smart thing to have? Is it worth it to insure a kitten? Or should I wait a few years until the problems actually start? The kittens are so healthy now, and don't need anything but boosters next year. So I'm wondering if there's any need to do it now, and if it's a smart thing to do in the long run.

And individual company suggestions are welcome!
 

happybird

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If you plan on carrying insurance, I'd go ahead and get it now. Accidents can happen any time and kittens are always getting into stuff.

When my Pooper was about 4 months old, she got closed in a recliner and it crushed her nose :( They couldn't really do anything for her nose, but the emergency vet visit still cost $400. And that's getting off pretty cheap at the emergency vet. There have been so many times I have wished I had pet insurance.

Oh, and little Pooper is fine :) Her nose just has a cute little slant to it that you only really notice in photos.
 
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matts mom

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I"m up to 500 dollars and counting(more to do) in the last month for Matt. I wish I had insured him. He was always healthy, and very happy, but illness strikes fast and unexpectedly. I would definitely be in the camp suggesting insurance. His next visit will(hopefully if he stays well from his illness) be for a 400dollar teeth cleaning. My credit card bills are climbing, and the insurance plan I'd looked at last year would have covered it all but I didn't think I needed it...........
 
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tnyc

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Hahha awwwwww. So you just let her be, and it healed?
 
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tnyc

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Thanks for the responses! Now I'm getting all paranoid haha
 

matts mom

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Thanks for the responses! Now I'm getting all paranoid haha
Cats can go through their entire lives and never get sick....or they can become exposed to something that makes them ill. we got some mould in our basement that made Matt ill, and the poor boy has been sleeping down there for months now. He's very upset with me for not letting him go down there now, but Mother knows best. Pet insurance can cover you for everything from exposure to toxins to injury, and even emergency teeth cleaning($500) Once Matt ate string, and the surgery to remove that if it tied up his intesines would have cost over a thousand...thankfully he threw it up later. 
 

happybird

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Hahha awwwwww. So you just let her be, and it healed?
Yep, it healed but I felt SO guilty as I was the one who closed the recliner on her. The doctor said it was the equivalent of a broken nose on a human, but it's all cartilage and there was no way to splint it or anything.
Now I am super paranoid about any of my cats sleeping under the recliner. And they all love it under there, of course!
 
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ritz

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I would get pet insurance sooner rather than later. Some pet insurance companies do not cover pre-existing conditions, illnesses; or, the cat has to be free of, for example, a UTI for six months before they will cover the cost.
Do know that some insurance companies require you to provide any and all vet bills and office notes prior to your cat being covered--they want to make sure there are no pre-existing illnesses.
Do your due diligence, check for co-pays, maximum payments per illness. Some insurance companies will not cover Wellness Checks--they figure you can budget for the known costs, just not the unexpected illness/accident.
I've been pleased with PetPlan USA; they even paid for Ritz' Pill Pockets. They do not, however, cover routine dental cleanings. They understand, though, that you may not have many records if, for example, you rescued the cat from the streets, as I did.
 

thevegancuddler

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I would get pet insurance sooner rather than later. Some pet insurance companies do not cover pre-existing conditions, illnesses; or, the cat has to be free of, for example, a UTI for six months before they will cover the cost.
Do know that some insurance companies require you to provide any and all vet bills and office notes prior to your cat being covered--they want to make sure there are no pre-existing illnesses.
Do your due diligence, check for co-pays, maximum payments per illness. Some insurance companies will not cover Wellness Checks--they figure you can budget for the known costs, just not the unexpected illness/accident.
I've been pleased with PetPlan USA; they even paid for Ritz' Pill Pockets. They do not, however, cover routine dental cleanings. They understand, though, that you may not have many records if, for example, you rescued the cat from the streets, as I did.
How much do you pay for insurance? I've been thinking about investing, but it needs to be something I can reasonably pay... I have six kitties and a dog! One of the kitties is eleven years old, though, and doesn't have any records. =/
 

ritz

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For one, four year old cat, I pay around $380 a year. If Ritz has two UTIs and one 'upset stomach' as he did last year, the amount I was reimbursed more or less equaled the premium. And peace of mind was priceless.
 

ritz

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PS: Check into discounts; for example, I had Ritz microchipped mid-premium year, and the pet insurance company reimbursed me MORE than what the annual fee is. No doubt there are other discounts, such as multiple cats/dogs.
 

nbrazil

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Regarding the cost, I too have PetPlan USA, but please, do not take this as a commercial endorsement, do your due diligence.

That much being said, for a kitten the cost is approximately $20 dollars a month for a plan with a $200 deductible (per condition) and which pays out 90%. Other plans exist with different deductibles and pay out percentages both higher and lower.

But there is a discount for paying an entire year in advance... comes out to approximately $155 give or take. And it renews at the same rate! So the kitten rate is sweet!

The following site compares different pet insurance plans and has reviews, it may help you decide...

http://www.petinsurancereview.com/

Again, not an endorsement... just an FYI - my vet wanted my kitten to see a cardiologist for his symptoms, so stuff can happen besides accidents (which you are insured for within 24 hours... otherwise there is a two week exclusion period in my policy). This happened 4 weeks after I got the policy! Let's say it helped because I didn't have to fret about the finances - and, in the end, he checked out fine (whew).

Again, just because I happened to have a circumstances wherein I used it rather quickly does not mean that will happen to anyone else. Only you can decide if spending, oh say, $200 a year for the next 10-15 years (should nothing befall your charge) is worth it for a sense of security financially?
 

laralove

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I'd also like to thank those who participated in thread. I had gotten a couple quotes but had not looked at PetPlan USA. For about $13/month (because I paid for the year in full and saved $33) I got a Gold Plan (the best) with a $100 deductible and 90% reimbursement. That's about $10/month cheaper than the other companies for a better plan, though it doesn't cover wellness. 
 
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