Pet Insurance

Not sure if this can go here, please move if necessary.

Does anyone here have insurance for their cats? What brand and what has been your experience? Considering it for my two and just need to know what to expect/choose. 

xcourtney3 said:

 
Not sure if this can go here, please move if necessary.

Does anyone here have insurance for their cats? What brand and what has been your experience? Considering it for my two and just need to know what to expect/choose. 

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The best site I have ever found is www.petinsurancereview.com

No one covers wellness visits or pre-existing conditions, spay neuter or vaccinations but the best companies pay you back for virtually everything else, without hassle subject to a client selected deductible and co-pay.  I didn't insure my cats until they reached abut 8 years of age, i hedged my bets to save 8 years of premiums on the idea that most cats don't get seriously sick until after that age, but of course that is a personal gamble.

Remember that since they reimburse, you will still need to be able to pay for treatments up front.  And you will have to ask your vet to send them all the records prior to getting a policy and most companies make you wait about 14 days before you can file your first claim in order to prevent people from attempting to insure their animal after getting ill.

I use petplan, and i'm very happy with them.  If I was starting over I might go with Healthy Paws because they have no cap on coverage, even though Petplans annual cap is over $20,000.

Just remember, the insurance does you no good if you can't front the costs.

We are with Petplan too, have been for the last 2 years and are very happy with them. We got a multi pet discount too.

Some also give a discount if your cat is chipped.

Like Stephen Q said, pet insurance will not cover exams and do not cover preexisting conditions. When I adopted Sam (4yrs old) in August, the humane society had a thirty day free trial of Trupanion with the ability to start the insurance right away. With Trupanion, the monthly premium is based on the age when you start the insurance and the deductible you choose. For a reference, my cat is four and I have a 300 deductible- my monthly cost is $30.

Trupanion has no cutoff from what I could tell- they have a deductible PER ISSUE. So, if your cat develops diabetes, you pay your deductible and then they pay 90% for every diabetes related event afterwards. If you cat then develops cancer- you pay your deductible then they pay 90% of everything related to kidney failure thereafter. I don't know what other companies do so it is worth checking around.

I was VERY thankful that I had insurance- I just had a urinary blockage with my kitty and they got back to me the same day I filed my claim telling me they sent a check in the mail! I would suggest (since they reimburse and don't pay up front) maybe getting care credit to pay the vet as most vets require full payment up front. I payed out of pocket the first go around, but my kitty is back in the hospital (only one month later) and I signed up for care credit to cover this until my claim check comes in afterwards. I honestly don't think I could keep my sweet little man without insurance as I have a feeling my little older adoptee is going to be a very expensive cat! If I ever get other animals, I am definitely getting insurance for them right away just for peace of mind!

I use Embrace pet insurance. I purchased a wellness plan as well. I have been happy with them.