Cancelling CAT Insurance - bad move?

gettingready

Hiya,

I have Zara my GS insured with Pet Plan for £51 per month (12000 per year vet fees policy) and 2 of my 4 kittens insured also with PetPlan for £32 for the 2 of them (up to 6000 per year vet fees).

Was just about to insure the other 2 kittens (got 4 all together) :

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2766410

... but started thinking that paying £64 insurance per month for kitties who stay indoors is a bit much. Especially that the excess is £85.

Had George at the vets last week, paid nealry £90 for 2 injections (he was unwell) and a week worth of antibiotics so obviously did not claim on the insurance and probably never would for normal kind of "something wrong" type of visits.

Of course one has to keep in mind possibility of some long term condition developing later on in life but....

Just thinking if it is not better to put that £64 away each month and keep for any emergencies?

My old cat, Tiger, developed kidney cancer and was on medication for the last few months which insurance paid for but frankly the cost was less then I expected and it almost evened out with the insurance I was paying for him....

Any thoughts?

Thanks

picklepick

I could never cancel mine. I'd be so worried that as soon as I did one of them would develop something like diabetes or cancer etc and need ongoing life long treatment. If you can afford to spend £2000 plus a year on treatment then sure cancel but for us, theres no way we could pay that. I'd never forgive myself if i had the opportunity to save them and i didnt.

Can you afford emergency vet care for your cats? We nearly had to pay £250 just for one of ours to stay in hospital over night recently.

gettingready

I am just thinking about this right now, that is why I have asked for opinions to see what others think...

With one cat I would not think of cancelling, with 4 though - what are the chances that all 4 need any treatment at any given time?

Just trying to calculate the risks here.

And yes, I could cover any emergency treatment if needed - could borrow money to pay for it from "kids" and pay them back ..

Still thinking....

devildog

It is a difficult one! I was faced with the same thing approx 2 years ago and opted to cancel my insurance(for GSD-no claims)These past few weeks I have had to pay out approx £500 for various things! However I am still a head money wise(at the moment)!
Obviously there are ways to keep the cost down, like getting a prescription and getting drugs online etc.
I guess the other thing to consider is the age/temperament of the animals and what would be in their best interests if something major was too happen.For some animals you would aim to keep them 'comfy' but not opt for expensive major surgey-not because of the expense but because in that situation it is best for them, eg, say a cat of 16 has a cancerous tumour, do you put it through an op to possibly prolong it's life for a couple of months or keep it comfy.
Hard call

gettingready

Devildog - for that reason I would not cancel my dog's insurance, I moved it from M&S to PetPlan as the M&S jumped up way too high with reneval and got a better cover with PetPlan for the same money. With a GS I always worry about hip problems so would not canel that one.

With 4 indoor kitties it is another story though... so thinking hard on this one.

KxMx

Have you shopped around for other quotes to get a better deal? The £85 excess and premium cost seems high to me, am sure you can find better. For one cat with Axa I pay £8 odd a month, and could choose my excess level from £25-£75, and it covers me for £7,000 per problem, per year (i think).

While being indoors cuts the risk of problems that doesn't mean they won't have something brewing in their genes, or like my friend's cat, fall off a shelf and break a limb and need it pinned at great cost (it was so bad he had to live in a cage for 6 weeks to keep it immobile).

While I know £64 can seem alot, it covers you for £1000s worth of treatment per cat. Realistically putting money away would not go very far towards replacing the level of insurance cover. And if you shop around even that cost can be cut.

Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best, in my view the insurance cost pays for the piece of mind and security of high cover rather than the black and white costs.

tizerbelle

I would second shopping around for insurance - try one of the multi-pet policies. I just ran a quote and for 3 kittens (wouldn't let me do 4 online), 8 months old, spayed/vaccinated/microchipped etc with a £70 excess on a £4000 per condition - 12 month limit and it comes out at a monthly premium for all 3 at £15.32 (less than paying for one kitten at present). Upping the cover to £6000 makes the premium for all 3 £24.68 - would suggest to me that, that is probably the way to go.

gettingready

Thanks for your replies.

I am not sure I am keen on "per condition" types of insurance, prefer the "per year" type ones as if the condition is a life long one it works out better.

Lots of people got caught by the "per condition" types of insurance and that is why I am not looking at those.

May shop around for the kitties though as you did give me some ideas, thanks for that.

gettingready

Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best,

i

That is precisely why I went to Pet Plan and not cheaper insurance options.... My old cat as well as Zara were insured with M&S but the reneval came as astronomical amount although I only claimed for Zara once in 2 years and it was only £250... so moved to PetPlan

Waterfalls

gettingready wrote: »

Thanks for your replies.

I am not sure I am keen on "per condition" types of insurance, prefer the "per year" type ones as if the condition is a life long one it works out better.

Lots of people got caught by the "per condition" types of insurance and that is why I am not looking at those.

May shop around for the kitties though as you did give me some ideas, thanks for that.

some policys, including petplan are "per condition + per year"
so shop around, but some policys do cover both types at once. This type is the best one but does usually cost abit more

hethmar

tizerbelle wrote: »

I would second shopping around for i with a £70 excess on a £4000 per condition - 12 month limit and it comes out at a monthly premium for all 3 at £15.32 (less than paying for one kitten at present).go.

Thats the worrying bit, after 12 months you are on your own.