Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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Flora_L
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Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by Flora_L »

Hi everyone,

I'm sure everyone's familiar with the agony of having to pick an insurer. We're debating between Petplan (which was suggested by our vet) and Tesco's. We will have to neuter our gorgeous girlie soon and Petplan covers for complications... their other charm is that they cover vet prescribed food and medication and even emergency vet calls/home visits - or so they say... We only heard good things about Tesco and their yearly claim is £7500 compared to Petplan's £3000 - a significant difference. They also have a hotline that we could phone anytime. Our sense is that once you've contracted with an insurer it's best to stay with them... What is your experience?

How many expenses should we really expect to face? She's indoors only (although we're toying with the idea of leash training once she's more settled)... We really have absolutely no clue what to expect... Should dental be covered there? Is that important?

Too many options and they seem to cover so many different things, it's crazy! Please share your experiences! Thank you very much in advance.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by booktigger »

Petplan do a higher plan, it's the one I have for mine. This is the first time I've used them, they are expensive but I do think they are worth it - they even paid one claim in 2 days last year!
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Ruth B
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by Ruth B »

I will admit that I have never had pet insurance, instead I put away an amount each month into a separate savings account and should anything happen the money will be there to pay for it, with currently 3 cats it is a cheaper alternative.

However I will mention a couple of things to think about.

Dental work. This I think is one of the most common treatments cats need, most of mine have needed it at some point in their life. When one of mine needed it doing earlier this year, the vet asked about insurance and was actually pleased when I said she wasn't insured, allegedly most insurance companies consider a dental to be 'cosmetic' and won't pay for it, even if the cat needs extractions due to bad teeth. If you have ever suffered tooth ache, you will know just how cosmetic getting that fixed is.

Secondly, a lot of insurance companies offer two options, a basic plan that only covers chronic illness for a year and a premium plan that covers it for the cat's lifetime. My parents had a cat that suddenly developed diabetes, she wasn't insured but they were able to pay for her treatment, and it did get expensive, she was having insulin injections twice a day for about 5 years. My thought was could you imagine getting to the end of the year and knowing that the insurance wouldn't be willing to pay out any longer, when you have seen that with the treatment the cat appears to be perfectly healthy, but if you couldn't afford it at the start of the years treatment, how would you be able to at the end of it. If the treatment stops working, or even if you decide not to go through with expensive treatment and just give the cat the best you can for as long as it has naturally (a decision i made when one of mine was diagnosed diabetic and the timing for food and insulin were far too tight to fit in around our full time jobs), is one thing, but having to make the decision purely because the insurance ran out would devastate me.

For some insurance is a godsend, particularly if something like an accident happens soon after you have them and the bank fund hasn't had time to build up. I've been lucky virtually nothing my cats have needed in over 20 years would have been covered by insurance, and even that which might have been would probably have been close to any excess that some insurers set out. I'm not saying don't do it, but just trying to give a few more pointers to things to think about regarding it.

The other one to check is whether the payment goes direct to the vets or if you have to pay for the treatment and then claim it back.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by alanc »

When people ask about insurance, I always say it depends on whether you can afford to pay up to £4,000 in the first 5 years of their cats life. If you can, then do as Ruth does and put it in a savings account for them. Otherwise, it is worth considering insurance. Like Booktigger, I use Petplan and they have certainly been very good with rapid payment for Tilly and Badger and Tilly has cost them a fair bit over the past 8 years. (My previous cat Honey didn't cost them anything, though.)
Some other things to consider:
Many Vet practices make an administrative charge if you want them to be paid direct by the insurance Co. If your vets accept payment by credit card, rapid payment to you by the insurance co. is important as you need the money to arrive in your bank account before the credit card payment is due.
Rates and excess will increase when your cat gets older than 12, so much so that it may no longer be worth it . This is, of course, when many cats start running up large vet bills (as I found with Honey). The diseases of old age afflict indoor cats as much as outdoor ones.
I get the impression (probably unjustified) that Vets are more prepared to do expensive treatments if they know and trust the insurance company.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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Ruth B wrote: Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:41 pm having to make the decision purely because the insurance ran out would devastate me.
That's the reason I've always had insurance, knowing something was treatable but I couldn't afford it would devastate me. I have been unlucky with cats, even one I only had for 6 weeks had a £250 vet bill, I had insured her the day I got her, so she was covered. Lucy is the most expensive, costing roughly £4k last year, I've only had her 3 years, she wouldn't have had some of the treatment/tests she did have otherwise. Regarding direct claims, most insurance companies will, but it is up to the vet - PetPlan is the one most are happy to do direct claims with, although they may have a policy like my vet where the bill has to be over a certain amount - mine is £300, apart from ongoing claims (they do direct for Lucy's acupuncture).
alanc wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:56 am When people ask about insurance, I always say it depends on whether you can afford to pay up to £4,000 in the first 5 years of their cats life.
You've just reminded me I used to say something similar at home visits when discussing insurance. I've never seen a charge for a direct claim, but my old vet did used to charge to complete an insurance form, regardless of who the insurance company was paying. I have claimed less this year due to Lucy's high excess. No, I would say you were justified with that comment - years ago one of my cats became ill and the vet said if she was insured they could do x - I pointed out she was insured, so go ahead and do it. Lucy wouldn't have had a CT scan (£1.2k) last year if she wasn't insured.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by fjm »

One thing I would check for, after the chaos when one company withdrew from the market some years ago, is what happens to lifetime cover if the insurer stops offering pet insurance. I used PetPlan for mine, and was very happy with the service; there came a point where the premiums for the cats and dogs reached nearly £1,000 a year though, and I decided it was better put into a savings account. My advice would be to insure as early as possible with a reputable company for the first few years, choosing a lifetime policy with no annual or per condition limits. Insurance tends to be inexpensive for young, healthy cats, and you are covered for any emerging issues. Meanwhile start building up a savings account against the day when the premiums begin to soar, so that you have the choice between continuing to insure or self-funding. With just one animal insurance may still be the better bet.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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fjm wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:18 am One thing I would check for, after the chaos when one company withdrew from the market some years ago, is what happens to lifetime cover if the insurer stops offering pet insurance. I used PetPlan for mine, and was very happy with the service; there came a point where the premiums for the cats and dogs reached nearly £1,000 a year though, and I decided it was better put into a savings account. My advice would be to insure as early as possible with a reputable company for the first few years, choosing a lifetime policy with no annual or per condition limits. Insurance tends to be inexpensive for young, healthy cats, and you are covered for any emerging issues. Meanwhile start building up a savings account against the day when the premiums begin to soar, so that you have the choice between continuing to insure or self-funding. With just one animal insurance may still be the better bet.
That is one reason why Petplan are more expensive, they underwrite their own policies, so they are probably the most reliable in that respect, I have had to change a few times due to underwriters pulling out
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by Flora_L »

That is one reason why Petplan are more expensive, they underwrite their own policies, so they are probably the most reliable in that respect, I have had to change a few times due to underwriters pulling out
[/quote]

Hi Booktigger - what do you mean by uderwriting?

Thanks to everyone for their input it has really been helpful. The only question I'm left with is related to preexisting conditions: what if Leia will be diagnosed with an ongoing disease? Would that be covered in a lifetime coverage or a yearly one? Petplan interests us but this is not entirely clear in my mind: as I read it they treat the issue but if it comes back somewhere else int he cat's body, they won't pay up ie. initial arthritis in the left hind leg covered but later if it develops in the left front leg that is not paid for.. Any experience with this? HOw about chronic diseases like kidney issues or diabetes?

P.s.: Leia is settling really well, I tried to attach a picture of her but it says it's too big! :cry:
booktigger
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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All insurance needs an underwriter to pay the claims, most of the supermarket ones are covered by someone else so they could decide to stop providing insurance, which happened to people like M & S, they normally find another company to take the clients on but then the terms are different so you either pay more or get a different service. When doing home visits I always recommend lifetime cover, if you get yearly and they develop a lifelong condition, you aren't covered and you can't switch insurers. Lucy has three lifelong conditions, they are all covered by petplan, I just have to pay an excess each year - things like arthritis would be fine as the treatment would be the same (I.e you would take one lot of painkillers if you had pain in two places). Her prescription food isn't covered but the last company who did were very restrictive and I buy it online so it isn't as expensive
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by Flora_L »

Thank you, Booktigger for explaining. Yes, now that we're in the middle of this maze, it starts to take some shape. We've found Bought By Many, which is about the same price as PetPlan but covers dental and the yearly vet fee coverage is 15000 compared to PP's 12000... It's not decided yet, but we're leaning towards BBM.
Either way, thank you, everyone, for your kind replies - you've made us consider issues that will definitely benefit Leia in the long run!! :)
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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I do have friends who use Bought by Many and claim wise they seem fine.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by jean buchan »

We had a kitten who died at 6 months old after our vet discovered she had an enlarged heart. She was lively and healthy until one Friday, I noticed she was a bit quiet and wasn't keen on her food. Saw the vet on Saturday and it was decided to see how she went over the weekend. Monday morning - no better, hadn't eaten anything - emergency vet visit and was hospitalised for the day and given various treatments until an x-ray gave the answer, so there was no returning from that. We were devastated! Little Misty had crawled right into our hearts. I had joined the pet club at our local vet practice and also insured her with Bought By Many. A few weeks after her passing, I thought I'd better contact the insurance company, and I was immediately surprised when the first thing I was advised was that they would be refunding a large part of the premium which I had paid for a year. The claim was handled quickly and with no problems and I even received a handwritten condolence card from the Bought By Many team. We lost Misty in January and initially I said never again could I risk this heartbreak. However 2 months later, we missed her so much I decided I wanted to give another cat a home, so got in touch with the Cats' Action Trust after my niece told me about them I have now adopted two unrelated kittens who began life as semi feral. They are two lovely little cats called Pebbles and Millie and they both have lovely natures but are so frightened. Of course no one knows exactly what they have been through, especially Pebbles who is ten months old and has never had a forever home. It is going to take time for them to trust me, but that I have plenty of. If anybody tries to touch them they're off!. They come to me when they want to, mostly when I'm in bed and I'm allowed to pet them thoroughly then, with them jostling for the space closest to me. Needless to say, I will be insuring them with Bought By Many. Misty is in her little urn on the sideboard watching over us, and we will never forget her.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

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alanc wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 7:56 am When people ask about insurance, I always say it depends on whether you can afford to pay up to £4,000 in the first 5 years of their cats life. If you can, then do as Ruth does and put it in a savings account for them.
Insurance companines ALWAYS win and the payout ratio overall is around 50% though it varies for different insurances. This doesn't mean it's a con, it means they are there for the big risks outside of what we can reasonably save or or our credit limits, cover their costs like staff to deal with the admin and premises, and make a profit on top for their shareholders. But it does mean that a savings account is likely to be a winner if you can, it's just that scary bit at first until you build up the account.

Funny you should mention the figure of £4000 though. Having had cats all my life and never an insurance on any of them, by luck I have won - 30 years, only a handful of bills higher than £100 (ie the excess) plus 3 dentals and a couple of blood tests, despite one cancer and two renal failures. But that has just changed, my girl goes in today for radioiodine. By the time we've added in the follow-up tests, we won't be seeing any change from £4000 and of course she is not insured. We can cope - just, by cutting back and maxing out credit - and I know how lucky we are after 30 years and 6 cats of which 5 have been mature rescues. We also take a 'realistic' approach, ie there is no point re-testing as routine if there is no other treatment than the one we are already on.

We have been looking at insurance for the dog though, but can't make a decision. We just know that if we take out accident only he will develop an illness, if we take out yearly he will have a lifetime illness, etc.
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by alanc »

Mollycat, the £4,000 figure was based on experience. Its what Tilly's surgery costs were when she broke a tarsal bone in her back leg just before her 3rd birthday. Definitely what you need insurance to cover. Prior to that, I never had a Vet bill much over £200 with any of my cats and was wondering whether insurance was worth it. Strangely, I have had several bills in the £1-2,000 region since with Tilly (Pancreatitis) and Badger (terminal cancer). I don't think Petplan have "won" so far with Tilly, although they did with her predecessor, Honey. I would much rather that Tilly does not need any more payouts and Petplan "win" for the rest of her life!
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Re: Cat insurance - a mind boggling maze!!!

Post by Ruth B »

I once heard it said that any insurance is a gamble you pray you never win. I also think that once one has paid out you are more likely to keep it running.

I did 'win' once, for my central heating boiler. It was finicky thing and difficult to fix, the first time it went wrong it wasn't covered and I then found out it hadn't been fitted according to it's specification, I had to fight for the original fitters to come out and move it so it could be repaired. After that event I decided to pay for service cover. Two years later the burner stopped working and had to be replaced, the same happened 18 months afterwards and again after another 12 months, that was when they found out the heat exchanger had cracked and was leaking water onto the burner rusting it. British Gas offered me a £500 discount off a new boiler rather than having to replace it, unfortunately i couldn't afford the other £2000 for one. Two engineers for about 4 hours plus parts, I hate to think how much that would have cost if it hadn't been covered. A few years later I did replace the boiler with a British Gas recommended one which has never given me any problem but I still pay out the insurance, just in case.

The difference for me is I have three cats and one boiler, I couldn't just insure one cat and hope that was the one that needed treatment, I would have to pay out three times, If I only had one cat then maybe I would insure it. I know I've been lucky, none of mine have needed anything that we couldn't afford, and what they did need would probably not have been covered.

In the end 'you pay your money and you take your chances' with any type of gamble, you can take all the advise in the world but in the end the decision isn't always quite rational.

There is a house three doors down from us, that had a fire last year (apparently something like a phone was left on charge, fortunately no one was hurt), it is still a burnt out shell, and apparently the people had no insurance. In their case I have no sympathy, that is the type of thing that should have been insured, but it's a semi detached, so the ones I feel sorry for are those in the adjoining house.
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