Pet Insurance- who has it? (First time cat servant to be)

[icklemiss21]

Care credit is being cancelled in Canada at the end of January so it isn't an option up here.

I do have insurance on some of my cats, not all. Scully had insurance when we got him and while it had never been used (he had never beem to the vet since he was a kitten) and the premiums over several years went into the insurance company's pocket - we have made good use of it over the last few years and charged probably close to $10k to it and got back over $8k after deductibles.

Autumn came with shelter insurance and when I told them I didn't want to keep it up they offered me a great deal with guaranteed premiums so I kept it up as she was on the streets for several years and is (statistically at least) more likely to have problems than my indoor since kittens cats.

The others dont but they have never had to go without a needed vet visit, if we don't have the money on hand, it goes on our credit card.

 

[tari]

I checked into insurance for my cats, but the cost was prohibitive. They're both rescues, and Forest has cerebellar hyperplasia (which doesn't effect his health...it just makes him walk funny...but try to tell an insurance company that

). Instead I've established an emergency savings account for my pets. I contribute $50 a month to it so I have a little cushion in case of an emergency. I don't use it for checkups and other normal vet expenses, just for emergencies (like when Forest swallowed the string last summer

).

 

[merindah]

Thanks for all the comments. I appreciate your opinions

 

[coaster]

No problem, that's what we're here for. Opinions, that is.

 

[pintameez]

Originally Posted by Yosemite

We decided that putting X amount of $ away per month for emergencies was the best way to go. By putting X$ into a savings account each paycheque is better than the pet insurance IMO.

This is what we are doing, it just makes more sense to us.

 

[coaster]

That's probably the best choice for people who can afford to take the risk of an unexpected vet bill before there's enough in savings to pay for it. It might mean putting it on a credit card instead of paying out of the vet savings account. But for someone who's comfortable taking the risk for the first few years then there's no need to pay an insurance company to take the risk for you.

 

[booktigger]

There are downsides to that - I took Mabel on last year, she had been in a rescue for over a year, and other than snottiness, no apparent health issues. I lost her 5 weeks later to intestinal lymphoma, and her bill was either just over or just under £200 - the insurance company paid all bar £50 of it, there is no way I would have been able to save that kind of money that quickly. Some of my previous cats have cost £1000 in one year, again, the insurance has paid the bulk, but I couldnt have afforded to save that kind of money, especially as it was that amount 2 years in a row (and that was just on one cat, didn't include anything the others might have had)

 

[twokatz]

I looked into pet insurance when I got my girls but decided it was not a good deal, too many loopholes and the premiums goes up as the animal ages. My two had issues right off the bat that could be called "pre-existing" or genetic, and so were not covered. You need to read the fine print, exclusions and all the other stuff carefully.

 

[missmyra]

I have VPI pet insurance and was very fortunate that I started the policy before my cat was diagnosed with diabetes, because the glucose curves and other tests were very expensive, and VPI would not have covered her in the first place if the diabetes was pre-existing.

Yes I do have to pay the bill up front then submit for reimbursement but over the years it has been worth it. Some years not so much financially but definitely emotionally.

Just be careful to understand what is covered -- you might assume cancer is covered but it isn't for me. In fact now that my cat is older, I cannot even get the "cancer rider" added in to her policy.

 

[fawxfyre]

I do have pet insurance and love it! It is through the Banfield Pet Hospital inside PetSmart, and I have no deductible, pay $16.95 a month for the Basic Plan, (there are 3 plans), and I do not have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed. What I do have to pay is for any medication or preventive meds, like fle meds, heartworm prevention meds, etc. There are a few other things the basic doesn't cover that the other two plans do cover, but for now the Basic is enough. It covers the office exam, all lab work and vaccinations, etc. However, it does not cover any x-rays that may need to be done; that is covered under the 3rd, (best) plan. This is just a few examples for you to ponder!