Insurance?

[Jane]

Not sure if this should be here or somewhere else, if it's in the wrong place sorry ;)

Well when we got Patch we considered getting insurance, but we looked around and no where really seemed that great. My nannan also persuaded us not to, saying there was no point :?

Now just wondering, who here has insurance for their kitties? who are you with? Is it worth it? How much does it cost for you? can anyone tell me more about it? Not really sure how it works to be honest.

Sorry for questions :P

Jane

[charliebubs]

I wouldn't be without the pet insurance for my cats!!

I think it has been well worth the amount I pay in premiums each month for the peace of mind.

Most of mine are insured with M&S pet insurance and up until now they had a policy with no excess, so all the vets fees could be claimed back, and it was fantastic. Unfortunately they no longer offer that policy, so I may be shopping around, but I will keep them all insured.

I pay about £6.00 per month per cat.

I hope that helps!! :)

[Jac]

Word of advice GET INSURANCE!!!! you never know what the future holds. Look at me £300 and if I hadn't been insured up the creek without a paddle. Some of that was for Abi but most of it was Caspurr. I'm with Pet Plan.

[Kim]

I think pet insurance is a really good thing to have for peace of mind. I have never made any big claims for the cats, but have claimed in excess of £4000 for the dogs!! Shop around, I had the M&S no excess policy too, even without that they are quite reasonable, one of the dogs was cheaper with 'more than'.

This site may help.
http://www.compare-pet-insurance.com/pet/index.php

[Amber]

DEFINATELY get insurance! I am lucky enough to not have had to use mine yet but I still wouldn't be without it!

I see it all too often at work, where clients suddenly get hit with a huge bill and can't afford to pay it - the look on their faces when you tell them is heartbreaking sometimes :(

You may be lucky and find that you never need to use it - but chances are that at some point in Patch's life you will!

Do it as soon as possible aswell, because if Patch has suffered with anything in the past, the insurance won't cover it and obviously the older he gets, the longer the list of problems already treated.

I am with PetProtect and they are brilliant. Amber costs me around £8 per month, and the dog costs me £12 per month.

Yes I could save a bit of money without it, but if anything ever happened to my animals and I couldn't afford the treatment I'd be devastated - I'd find the money from somewhere because for me there would be no alternative - but insurance makes it so much easier! And you haven't got the worry of what your next bill is going to be playing on your mind.

[Amber]

Also, make sure you read the small print!

A lot of insurance companies will only cover you for so many pounds a year or so many pounds for each condition, and once you go over that amount, you have to find the rest yourself. And a lot of others will only cover each condition for a year, so heaven forbid, a lifelong condition such as diabetes was diagnosed, your insurance would only cover you for the one year - after that, you're on your own!

If you can afford it, you want unlimited insurance ;)

[Jane]

Thanks guys - guess we should get it then!

Anyone have any tips on how to persuade my parents?? I guess I'll just explain - if he got ill it would cost a lot more than the insurance.

You guys have been talking about a policy with 'no excess' what does that mean? am going to have a google now ;)

[Fran]

I'm with Petplan, I pay around £9 a month for each of my cats but they pay out for life, so if my cats have any long term conditions then the Insurance will cover them for all of their life up to £7000 per year I think it is. There is an an excess of around £65 for each condition. I've only ever had to claim once for my cats and that's for Porsha. She was sickly from when I got her and her vet bill to date is in excess of £2000 and she's just over a year old :shock: Thank goodness she is insured. She does have lifelong problems and so I'm reassured to know that the insurance company will pay out for the rest of her life. Not all policies do this, so check the small print ;) I'd definitely recommend insurance for your cat...

[Jane]

Have been looking on the Petplan website and they seem quite good - will get dad to do the quote thing later I think, am going to talk to him about getting insurance. Thanks guys.

[Elaine]

My old boy Winston never cost me a penny of vets bills until he reached the age of 18 and was diagnosed with CRF. I hate to think what I spent at the vets since then. He wasnt insured and blood tests, prescription food and meds all cost, not to mention fluids etc. I never grudged him a penny so never did total it all up but it was a struggle from time to time.
Eva and Bernie are both insured through petplan. You just never know when you might need it.