Cancelling CAT Insurance - bad move?

paddypaws101

tankgirl1 wrote: »

OK, I'm a veterinary nurse, so I see more than the usual 'Joe Public' will see of sick pets.

Most of the CATS I see whose owners are glad of their insurance policies are not young. The biggest risk with young cats appears to be road traffic accidents, or trauma injuries - these make up a very small percentage of our feline patients.

Its the elderly cats with chronic kidney failure, diabeties mellitus or hyperthyroidism, or a multitude of any other old age related problems - the owners of these cats with insurance are glad of that.

The owners of these OAP cats without insurance are much more likely to have them pts

Thanks for that info Tankgirl...and it is very interesting to hear that you have your own cats insured.
4 of my cats are over 15, one is both diabetic and HT, another is HT, and one has never been back to the vet since she was spayed! It breaks my heart ( as it must do yours ) when I hear of an older cat being PTS just because of a DX of Diabetes. The problem is of course that the premiums for a cat of 10/12/14 are pretty high, plus then there is an added percentage of costs added, so I still question whether the policy is really cost effective.
My 'insurance' was keeping on a part time job for many years after I wanted to stop it....the extra cash was mostly saved for that dreaded rainy day.

minimoneysaver

Hi there, my cat is about 1 1/2 at the moment and still at the curious stage, so he is insured. However, I don't plan insuring him much beyond 3 as I think that I will self insure and put the money in a savings account. I am hoping that by then he has learnt to cross a road (yeah right) and if there are any underlying problems, they will have reared their ugly head by then, (I know, it's very optomistic). That's my opinion on the matter. If he was an indoor cat, I would probably would only insure him for the first few months to check he has no problems that could be costly.

minimoneysaver

I meant to say... generally I don't insure. I figure the money I save on insurance on the washing machine, fridge freezer, dishwasher, computers, bikes etc can be put in a self insurance savings account to pay for problems as they arise. To date, I am well ahead of the game! I obviously do have buildings & contents and car insurance, but that's about it. x

gettingready

Ok - just cancelled PetPlan for the kitties...

called few other places but they all offer "per condition" only policies and their excess was lump sum PLUS percentage of the total so not what I am looking for.

Online wuotes are no good as none ever has place to put 4 kitties in so have to call round.

Does anyone know who else, apart from PetPlam and M&S offers per year polices (not per condition) and has excess as a set amount without a percentage of the total bill?

Thanks a lot,

gettingready

Ok- just got off the phone with Argos, they quoted me £34.58 for all 4 cats (platinum cover) and..... 30.47 for Zara (at the moment Zara insurance is 52.70) so going to have all 5 pets insured with Argos for a total of £65.05

Thanks everyone for your input and suggestions....

gettingready

All done, cancelled Pet Plan and isnsured all kitties AND Zara for a total of £65.05 per month with Argos Platinum.

Uffffffffffffffff

tankgirl1

gettingready wrote: »

All done, cancelled Pet Plan and isnsured all kitties AND Zara for a total of £65.05 per month with Argos Platinum.

Uffffffffffffffff

That's not bad for 4 kitties plus a pooch! GSD?

I see a lot of argos and tesco forms come through, and haven't heard of any problems from clients.

The one to avoid has a two letter name, separated by a certain sign - have had lots of problems with them!

Its also worth remembering, that a company you are insured with, who is presented with a claim can ask for the full medical history for that pet. For 99.99% of people that isn't a problem, but I have had claims, rightly refused for something that was clinically noted, and mentioned to the owners days/months/years before the policy was taken out.

Just another reason whilst its a good idea to carry out insurance from day one - if you can afford 'self insurance', well than that's great too - just that some unexpected (or hitherto 'seen brewing') conditions can cost thousands

As I've said before - mine are with PetPlan - I don't trust myself if another big bill came along, not to dip into the pet fund.... despite popular belief, us vet nurses get paid very very little over minimum wage, so insurance is a must!

paddypaws101

gettingready......did you go through Quidco as they are offering £20 off an Argos policy right now! Either way that is a HUGE saving, well done.
Tankgirl,,,I hope you get 'mates rates' !

Caspian

I find Petplan quite expensive tbh and were really awkward when I wanted to insure my female cat - they put heaps of clauses on her policy when she was perfectly healthy (she had a shaky start to life - long story).

My boy cat spends the majority of his time indoors but he is very clumsy and is forever hurting himself though falling off the sofa, window ledge ... The vets often feels like his second home!

At the end of the day it is your call but you really don't want to tempt fate.

dizziblonde

The Lord And Mistress here is insured... even though I've had her about 7 years and never had to claim on it (she's hardly ever at the vets... much to her disappointment because she actually LIKES the vet - he's gullible and gives her cuddles) - I'd never ever want to be in a position where she lands me with a hideous bill and I have to make the call to treat her or put her to sleep based on financial grounds. It's trading on fear, yep - but I'd never forgive myself and I don't have the willpower to save and not touch it. Starting to get expensive now she's getting older - but that's when I'm most likely to need it to be honest.