new kitten insurance

tsstss7

Hi all - I'm jusy about to get a new kitten and don't want to make a mistake with the insurance as I'm not rich enough to pay out lots for ongoing treatments if needed and would never want to have the animal put down unless neccessary.

Now I have read some of the mammoth insurance thread but can't grasp one thing - is it at all possible to "fix" the cost of your insurance (provided you stay with the same insurer and continue to payt he premiums)? Or at least reasonably predict how much annual rises might be?

I am thinking that I could take a high (per condition) excess as my main concern is to be covered for accidents requiring operations etc and chronic conditions requiring ongoing treatment.

Has anyone out there taken out insurance recently and can let me in on how it works.

Fire_Fox

Generally with pet insurance you will need to stay with the same insurer long-term as anything you seek treatment for (even if you don't claim) will lead to exclusions if you switch. For the same reason if money is tight it's wise to insure a kitten from day one. I think all insurers will increase premiums each year due to inflation, but it's really a question of whether that is affordable!

You will want a 'for life' policy which means that your maximum claim starts again each year, so AXA is £7000 per year. I am only paying £7.50 per month for my resuce moggie, tho it may be more expensive if you have a pedigree or live in London. PetPlan are another good insurer, but they change as the cat gets older from an excess in £££ to an excess as a percentage of the total. If your cat has an expensive ongoing condition you may find this is not for you.

I work in the NHS in lifestyle healthcare and as a result I am a strong believer in the power of simple healthy eating. From my research I would say some cats do fine on a cheap/ low quality diet but it may cause or contribute to health problems in others. You certainly do not need to buy all the top end foods, but it might be worth reading through the positives and negatives of an all dry diet, all wet diet, raw food, high meat/ low grain content etc. and making your own mind up.

It's also worth thinking carefully about where you get the kitten from: a reputable breeder will be taking good care of the health of both mum and her kittens, as will an animal rescue. There are many examples of people getting kittens that have had minor health problems from the start, which has lead to blanket exclusions on insurance (sniffles = excluding all respiratory problems for life!).

lowis

Try AXA, they offer a great 'for life' policy, they are their own underwriter (so minimises the chance of policy changes in the future) and they are happy to deal directly with vets...check that your vet will deal directly with them as well. They also don't add a huge % excess on once your pet is deemed elderley. I am with AXA for one cat and they have been brilliant.

Pet Plan are another very good option - but they add a 20% excess once your cat reaches 10 years old. My other cat is with Pet Plan and again, they have been brilliant too.

NFU are supposed to be good too - but I don't know much about them, other posters here have great things to say about them.

Avoid all supermarket-branded policies. They are cheap for a reason.

Remember, pet insurance is not like car or home insurance - once you choose a provider you are pretty much stuck with them.

tsstss7

Hi

Thanks for your input.

I've just been reading another thread on here about feeding raw to cats so am hoping to find out later when a kitten start to eat raw food.

This is all new to me as I've not had a pet since I was a child!

I'm probably going to go with axa for the insurance as I'd like peace of mind - just trying to find out if any sites do cashback on axa.