cat insurance?

It looks like these threads have not been discussed in a few years. i've never gotten cat insurance before but wanted to. since i know human insurance is complicated and all i wanted to get input and wisdom from others about companies, brands, policies?

Financially we are not in a good spot but with a cat that might have pica i want to get him insured asap just in case. so far no vet notes about pica concerns have been made but was wondering if they do pre-existing etc. since we are going to the vet soon. Any tips would be great!  Thank you.

In my experience, the insurance is based solely on the age of the cat. No vet report is required. However, there is a waiting period for the coverage to begin once you sign up. Here is a website that summarizes all the pet insurance companies.

http://www.petinsurancereview.com/dog.asp

Insurance's I've looked into for my cats do not cover pre-existing conditions. MOST, if not all will not cover it. & they all have waiting periods.

https://www.petsbest.com/pet-insurance-comparison

here's a good comparison chart on insurance (I have Pet's Best)

I assume the "no exam or medical records required" means it covers pre-existing? I am not sure.

I think that most plans do NOT cover pre-existing conditions which are documented prior to the enrollment and occur during the waiting period. This link summarizes the top 10 rated companies and is pretty easy to understand the details of each regarding pre-exiting condition:

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/pet-insurance/best-pet-insurance

Before you commit to a policy I would call and ask for clarification as to how they define a "pre-existing" condition but if the pica has never been documented by a vet, my guess is that it doesn't exist yet as far as insurance is concerned so binding the insurance and waiting the waiting period before the vet visit would be a good idea?

Before long, you will be required to have cat insurance.  But, If you already have a policy, you can keep it and your rates will not increase.   

I would definitely call about "pre-existing" conditions.. The insurance companies can be so picky.. I had a major issue with one of them.. and finally cancelled the policy...now I have none.

They can turn anything into a 'pre-existing' condition, if they see something come up a lot.. 

I am not going to go into my personal details, but just make sure, you get the insurance when the cat is young and has had limited exposure to Vets... make sure the first documented exam is a negative one... 

They can ask for the entire file on any cat, if they are looking for pre-existing conditions... and the screeners do not necessarily have veterinarian experience.. or even a vet tech...just people they train to look for red flags of any type...

Also, the premiums do keep increasing as the cat ages..routine care is not covered..

Yes, you have to send a full vet history when you sign up. Or, I mean, have your vet send it. I just signed my youngest dog up and that's what they asked for. So, yeah, it's best to start insurance when the pet is young and healthy, or when you just got the pet and don't have any previous vet records. I got Healthy Paws, after some research it seemed like the best for us. So whatever it says in his vet records, that's what they'll use to determine what they'll cover.