Insurance - help me choose

[don1976]

It's all go-ahead following our home visit from our local shelter, so all being well we're picking up our new cat at the weekend.

Now I know that's everything is definite, I'm looking at things like vet registration and insurance - this particular query is about insurance. We did discuss insurance and the various levels of cover during the home visit, but now I go online to look for quotes, it all seems so overwhelming.

I've initially started off by looking at Petplan, as they seem to be the benchmark, albeit seemingly a bit more expensive than others. Vetsmedicover seem to be another well thought of insurer, but seemingly even more expensive again.

So - who do you all use - and do you recommend your insurers ? Could you score them out of 10 for ease for me ?
Who are the best 'value' for money. I'm not adverse to paying for the right cover, but I don't want to end up short with cover, or with an insurer who doesn't like to pay out. Neither do I want to pay through the nose unnecessarily - I am in Yorkshire, after all

[Ruth B]

I have three cats and no insurance, I do however make sure that I keep putting something into savings in case anything happens.

I did look into insurance when I got my two youngsters a couple of years ago and in the end decided that I was better off doing it the way I am. One thing I did decide was that if I ever did go down the insurance route I would have to go for the higher premium option that pays out for the rest of the cat's life if it gets a chronic illness. My parents had a diabetic cat and no insurance but were able to pay themselves for the continued treatment, which while I don't know exactly how much it cost, I know it came to a tidy sum of money over the years. Some policies only pay for 1 year of treatment for something like diabetes and I can think of nothing worse than the knowledge that at the end of the year the money stops coming in.

Like any insurance, in the end it is a gamble you hope you never win. In 16 years of owning cats as an adult I have only had to pay out for a few things that insurance would cover, dental work mainly, however if you think about how much the insurance premiums cost per month, and double that as I always have at least two cats, you can work out that there is a tidy sum tucked away in he bank in case of emergencies, and it doesn't matter which of my cats gets ill, the money will still pay for it.

While I may live in the West Midlands I was born and bred a Yorkshire girl and I guess it shows.

[booktigger]

The vets use a company called Agria, might be worth looking at

[Kay]

I have a credit card I don't use but which I hang on to in case I have to fork out for a big vet bill - the most I have had to pay in the past is £1500 for radioactive iodine treatment for an 11 year old cat - insurance would have covered it, but over his 11 years would have cost me a lot more than £1500

the biggest vet bills tend to come from complex surgeries, especially the sort that follows RTAs - as my cats are kept from the road in an enclosed garden I don't have that worry

[alanc]

First thing to inquire is, as you are getting your kitty from a rescue, does Petplan give you 3 months free cover? They did for me when I adopted Misty and Honey from the Blue Cross (29 years ago, now). They also gave 3 months free cover when I bought Badger and Tilly. What you need to consider is, can you afford a bill of £3,000 - £4,000 in the first 10 years of their lives. If you can, put it in a deposit account and call on it if required. If you can't, then I would recommend getting insurance. I have had to call on Petplan 3 times in the last 5 years, once for about £4,000 when Tilly broke a bone in her leg when (I think) she caught it in a trellis whilst jumping off a wall, then there was a bill of about £1,000 when she had Pancreatitis and Badger ran up a bill of over £2,000 for his unsuccessful cancer treatment. All these are accidents/diseases that can strike even if you keep your cats indoors.
I have no experience of other insurers, but I can say I have never had any problem with Petplan, who have always paid out promptly and have never quibbled with my Vets opinion on what was needed.

[shazxx50]

Hi.I use tesco for my kitty, its not cheap but they were top class when my previous cat miley got poorly, her vet bill for her treatment ,unfortunately it didnt work and she went to the rainbow bridge june 16 was over 3 grand, they paid my vet direct and also covered her cremation. When i got Puddle i didnt look around just insursed her with tesco, but ive also got the cover with my vets which is 10 a month that covers all injections fle and worm treatments, it well worth it.... hope this helps
sharon

[Alice]

You mention vet registration - I don't know what choice you have in the area where you live. My two are registered with Vets4Pets and I'm very satisfied with them. You pay for the first vaccination, then you're eligible to join a scheme whereby you pay £99, which covers annual vaccs and a health check each year for life, without any further payment. If there's a branch in your area it's worth considering. I like a bargain, and it's nice to take them for a thorough check, a chat with the vet, their jabs and then walk out without any payment and the lovely staff always help by carrying one or both out to my car!

I've had cats for over 25 years, most of the time I've had two, and I've never paid any insurance for them, choosing to save the money, hoping that I wouldn't get any huge bills. In total I've paid out about £400, most of which I couldn't have claimed. One cat lived to be 19.5 years, another 14, and the present ones are 11 and 13, so it would have been very costly to insure them over the years. I've no idea what insurance for all of them would have cost, but I'm sure that I'm well in pocket. Other people are not so fortunate - some on here have have been able to claim large amounts from their insurance, and been very glad to have it. As has been said, insurance is something of a gamble - you might pay it for years and never need to claim, or it could be the reverse - it's your choice.

I'm sure there'll be great excitement at your house at the moment now that the time to bring your new little friend home is so near - try to find time to keep us posted about it. Hope it all goes well.

[booktigger]

These have just been recommended on another forum

https://boughtbymany.com/

[don1976]

I signed up for Agria yesterday. There is however a 14 day cooling off period, so I might just check out this boughtbymany and see if it's worth cancelling and going for them instead.