New kitten - tonight!!!

supersaver66

aww he's lovely

Vacc at 9 weeks then again at 12 weeks usually for a kitten.

UKTigerlily

He would normally be vaccinated at 9 & 12 weeks, so take him for a health check & to begin his jabs & then you'll go back in three weeks to complete the primary course, then just once a year. He'll have flu & enteritis & you'll need to decide whether to give him leukaemia also, for Cattery stays they will only require flu & enteritis, but if he will go out i'd strongly suggest having them all!

He's gorgeous!

JoolzS

Awww, he's just adorable (and I don't say that just because of his name!).

I see lots and lots of posts on this forum saying that you must get pet insurance. I've never had it and have never needed it. My last darling cat died from cancer - it cost us a couple of hundred pounds during the last year of her life to keep her comfortable, but we could afford it. If we'd had insurance we could have perhaps been able to put her through an operation and recovery that would have been very painful for her.

I now have two cats, and still have no insurance. I may regret this at some time in the future, but I have credit cards and will use them to keep my babies alive if necessary and practical.

Maybe I'm just a cynic, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has found pet insurance to be really useful.

Julie

annah1212

JoolzS wrote: »

Maybe I'm just a cynic, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has found pet insurance to be really useful.

Julie

I've got three cats and I have to say I have found pet insurance useful on three occasions - one of my cats was hit by a car and the insurance covered all the bills to put him back together, which would have cost me £1,000 if I'd not had insurance. They've also covered a £200 antibiotics bill for the same cat when he later had a kidney infection, and a £500 bill for diagnosis of my other cat's blindness.

If I had the spare cash, then no, I wouldn't bother paying for insurance but if you really can't afford to shell out £1,000 at short notice because your cat falls out with a car, then insurance is a must in my opinion.

Even with my cats' medical history, the maximum any of them costs me is £7 a month for insurance on a VERY good Axa policy that pays out a lot more per condition than most I've seen.

Obviously just my opinion but pet insurance is one thing I wouldn't cut corners on .

scotsgirl_3

I'm another who found pet insurance really useful - I had paid 2 premiums(less than £20) when I got landed with a £700 emergency vets bill,and they paid up without any hassle. I'd have been able to pay it - but it would have been on a credit card!!

This wasn't for something as severe as cancer, my boy cat had crystals in his urniary tract which blocked him up over the weekend, which meant it cost a fortune to get him treated.

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I would always have pet insurance.
I've had four different cats who have had various forms of cancer.
The treatment and care till death for two of the cats cost over three thousand pounds and for a third cat who had a brain tumour and was operated on and needed ongoing treatment it was £1600.
We had a cat with diabetes and also another who had a stroke and needed lots of treatment.
You never know what's going to happen.
It might be a pain paying out on a policy for years and not getting anything back but when the cat gets older and the big,bad illnesses start appearing costs can soar and you realy appreciate the investment.

loulou123

I didnt have insurance on my dog and was left with over a £4,000 credit card bill! When he developed cancer and other serious health problems in old age.

Even though i spent all this i turned down an operation, as it really wasnt in his best interests and would have done the same regardless of insurance.

Now the first thing i done with my cat was to get her insurered, as id rather pay a small amount each month and not need it, then have to pay a huge sum i cant really afford.

Evansangels- hes gorgeous, and i hope its all going well : )

MrsE_2

lowis wrote: »

pleae do not let getting a few pounds from Quidco sway you into buying inadequate insurance.

asda and tesco do not offer proper for life policies. i am not sure Direct Line do either (please correct me if i am wrong), as I recall they limit the amount you can claim per condition.

for proper true 'for life' policies where the amount you can claim for vets fees renews each year try AXA, Petplan (not the value policy), NFU, M&S, Greenbee, Halifax, HSBC and Animal Friends.

Check this thread out, the last few posts for thorough guidance:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=108056&page=99

Great info, I will check that out as I don't have pet insurance & hum & ha over whether its "worth it" IYKWIM.

OP, can I recommend you ONLY feed complete dry food. Its better, cheaper, less-smelly, makes poos smaller, cleans their teeth, doesn't attract flies or look manky & crusty in the bowl.

I feed Royal Canin Kitten, have a look at the complete dry kitten feeds. Don't go any lower than Iams (stay away from whiskers & go-cat & similar) & buy as good as you can afford.

lowis

i have claimed approximately the following amounts for my pets over their lifetimes on insurance:

Rabbit - £4000

Cat 1 - £5000 (still alive)

Cat 2 - £14000

Cat 3 - £800 (still alive)

Insurance for me has most definitely been worth it - in fact when you consider how much I have paid in premiums, and how much the insurance have paid out - i am quids in!!! and most importantly my pets get the best healthcare possible.

MrsE_2

lowis wrote: »

i have claimed approximately the following amounts for my pets over their lifetimes on insurance:

Rabbit - £4000

Cat 1 - £5000 (still alive)

Cat 2 - £14000

Cat 3 - £800 (still alive)

Insurance for me has most definitely been worth it - in fact when you consider how much I have paid in premiums, and how much the insurance have paid out - i am quids in!!! and most importantly my pets get the best healthcare possible.

In Teds (RIP) whole lifetime had I had insurance I would have been very out of pocket.
Ted still got prompt treatment when it was needed.

Its a gamble, you're winning.

Don't forget though, usually they win, if they didn't they wouldn't be in business;)