Insurance for Older Cat

Hi

I have a recently adopted older cat with a few health problems.  Best guess is 12-15 years old.  She has: early stage 3 kidney disease, one eye lost to an infection some time back.  Arthritis.  A low grade heart murmur.  Hypertension (not sure on the accuracy of the reading given how stressed she became at the vet, but definitely elevated.)   No issues with diabetes, hyperthyroid, potassium.. The only sign I had of trouble was the amount of water she was drinking and a little drooling while she sleeps.  She is still hydrated enough to not require fluids at home.

She is also: still jumping on all the counters.  The queen of the house and the only one who will stare down the vacuum cleaner.  The owner of any and all catnip toys on the premises.  She loves her time on the catio, has had no issues with her appetite (I have to guard my food carefully - she is quiet and she can still move quickly when the mood takes her) and is a big love.  She has slept with me since day 1 and while she was known at the shelter for not caring much for other cats she has taken my youngest (just 1 year old) as her best friend and I often find them curled up together in the sun.  I'll give her anything I can while I have her.

All of my other cats have insurance.  It saved me quite a bit when one of the girls had her fight with lymphoma and meant that I wasn't put in a position of letting her care become a financial decision.  However - finding insurance at a decent rate for an older cat in good health is hard enough.  With pre-existing conditions excluded I'm not sure that she would be covered for much other than a cancer diagnosis or an accident of some sort.  Given all of her other health issues and how stressed she becomes with being handled at the vet, if we were faced with a cancer diagnosis (and thankfully this is one thing of which we have found no sign) I doubt I would opt for very aggressive treatment.  Palliative measures - of course, though as I recall those weren't necessarily expensive enough to pay 30-50/month for insurance that covers maybe 75% of treatment after a fairly high deductible.

So - does anybody here know of good options for insurance for an older cat? 

I think yu may do better by starting an insurance account for her instead of paying some company t do it when they are going to try to disclaim responsibility for virtually everything she has, plus they usually have deductibles and maybe co-pays (oh, the guile of insurance companies in the ways they can avoid paying out money!)  Figure out what a policy would cost and then start putting away that money in a savings account just for her.  Then if she has truoble with any of her pre-existing conditions, you will have money set aside to help cover the costs, and no insurance mogul is going to sit in judgment about what they do cover and what they do not cver.  Veterinary insurance is a relatively new thing, and like human health insurance, the more it covers, the higher the average prices go, so it's a vicious circle.  The purpose of the insurance company is NOT to make your life easier, it is to make MONEY at all costs.  So perhaps instead you should be paying YOURSELF by means of a savings account earmarked for vet care, at least for this one cat.  Perhaps compare at the end of the year which works best for you, paid insurance for the cat, or a medical spending account for a cat.

Red Top Rescue said:

 
I think yu may do better by starting an insurance account for her instead of paying some company t do it when they are going to try to disclaim responsibility for virtually everything she has, plus they usually have deductibles and maybe co-pays (oh, the guile of insurance companies in the ways they can avoid paying out money!)  Figure out what a policy would cost and then start putting away that money in a savings account just for her.  Then if she has truoble with any of her pre-existing conditions, you will have money set aside to help cover the costs, and no insurance mogul is going to sit in judgment about what they do cover and what they do not cver.  Veterinary insurance is a relatively new thing, and like human health insurance, the more it covers, the higher the average prices go, so it's a vicious circle.  The purpose of the insurance company is NOT to make your life easier, it is to make MONEY at all costs.  So perhaps instead you should be paying YOURSELF by means of a savings account earmarked for vet care, at least for this one cat.  Perhaps compare at the end of the year which works best for you, paid insurance for the cat, or a medical spending account for a cat.

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At your cat's age, I couldn't agree more.  However, if you want to purchase insurance for an elderly cat, the insurance I have on mine is through PetPlan.  Be aware that many of her conditions, as preexisting conditions, will not be covered.  http://www.gopetplan.com/?utm_source=(direct)&utm_medium=(none)&utm_campaign=ppcom

thanks to both of you for the suggestion.  I've done as you suggested and put some money aside for her care.  Each month when the insurance is paid on the younger cat (she has asthma and on that one I am getting my money's worth!) I take the same amount and put it in for her.  That, and I got a Care Credit card - just in case she has an emergency I can't pay out of pocket.  Fortunately so far, she has been relatively healthy considering her chronic kidney problems.  She actually is still gaining weight and the neighbor's outdoor cats are afraid to come into the garden now for fear of the noise she makes at them (from the safety of her window or catio.)

I agree that a special account for her is the best way to go. The older the cat is, the more the insurance companies charge, knowing that the likelihood of a problem arising is high. With your own insurance, so to speak, you can cover the pre-existing conditions. Just put enough in it to cover a sizable vet bill.