Insuring my cats, any advice?

zebredy

Hi there, I have a few questions about pet insurance for cats.

My hubby and I have four cats (there my life as I'm sure most of your pets are too you)

First off, my vets have told me that we have to pay for anything that goes wrong with our cats. Then we have to claim the money back direct from our pet insurer, does this sound right? (I know all vets are different but...)

I'm currently looking for the cheapest pet insurance I can find. I need one with the lowest excess possible, does anyone know any where you can set the excess figure yourself? Has anyone dealt with Pet Plan, there saying £70 for excess which seems the norm but is more then I would have liked, I was going to try morethan, but I just don't know

I Have read about choosing life cover and making sure you don't have to pay extra for older cats etc, just its a total minefield out there, and I want to get this right first time as no-one really likes chopping and changing.

My Izzy gave us a scare recently and I'm just thankful it was nothing serious and that my hubby woke up to the fact we really should have insurance for them...

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi, some insurance companies will pay your vet direct but your vet may not necessarily be happy with that. My vets say it's because a) the insurance companies take ages to pay them as they're a business and not the policy holder (they are a small business) and b) if the insurance company refuse to pay then who foots the bill if the owner can't pay it?


However, if treatment is going to be very expensive, they will accept a form from the insurance company saying that they've approved the claim (obviously they will need the details first) and will accept direct payment then.


In my experience, Petplan are excellent - I had a cat with kidney failure who needed ongoing treatment for several years (many £000s) and they paid up without a quibble each time. I just made sure I submitted a claim every 3 months or so to make sure I wasn't out of pocket by too much.

In this vein, I'd certainly recommend Lifetime cover - if I'd only had a 12 month cover policy, I'd have really struggled with Smudge (he received treatment for 9 years). Once they get older they're more prone to conditions such as arthritis etc which may need treatment for a prolonged period.

The excess on both my cats' policies are £75 - so you're been quoted a pretty standard amount.

MSE did a guide on pet insurance recently - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/cut-pet-insurance-costs - some useful tips in there too.


I think some also let you choose your excess amount above the minimum (a bit like choosing a voluntary excess on your car insurance in order to lower the premium) but I haven't tried this personally.

geri1965_2

Don't use E&L, whatever you do.

*onlyme*

I have 6 cats (3 domestic at home) and 3 semi feral ones that live at our yard. I put money away each month since the insurance has gone up so much and most have £60 -£70 excess.

Fire_Fox

Agree with Geri1965 don't touch E&L they are complete shysters and don't pay out. Do you literally want the cheapest monthly premium regardless of the cover level? If so you might get a quote from Argos who have several levels of cover. Reducing the excess will always increase the premium because that makes the claim rate increase. Most veterinary practices want you to pay upfront, as they cannot be sure you really are insured and that the insurer will settle the claim in full. Many insurers don't cover dental, and none will cover a pre-existing condition - so anything you have ever taken the cats to the vet with may mean an exclusion. Most also won't insure older cats for the first time.

As RFTA says for a cheaper premium you will get a pot of money that once it's gone it's gone, if you end up with a chronic condition like diabetes or CRF (kidney failure) the pot may well not last the life of the cat. The 'for life' policies renew the fund each and every year - I *think* Argos' highest level cover, Petplan and AXA are all 'for life', not sure about MoreThan. Petplan's excess changes to a percentage in older age, this can be very costly. Personally I went with AXA without shopping around as the general concensus on Purrsinourhearts forum was AXA or Petplan - any other insurance I do shop around but it didn't seem to me that you could make comparisons as you are not looking at the same level of cover.

zebredy

Thanks for the replies.

No I didn't mean the cheapest as in bottom end insurance, but like most I just want the best I can for the best possible price.

I did have petplan in mind, will be giving them a call tomorrow, I tried an online quote with them so will give them a call in the morning as need some more information.

My cats have not had there injections, they had them when they were 1 but there out of date now, so they have to be redone. I know Petplan will insure them if they have not had there injections which is fine for me (yes I know they won't be insured for anything the injections protect against), I'm getting that done (the injections) during the week, but I have to start the plan as soon as possible cause its 14 days before I can claim on it..

Anyway as I said thanks for the replies, hopefully will have this all sorted by Friday (fingers crossed) and then at least I'll have a little more peace of mind if something ever does happen to one of my babies..

rising_from_the_ashes

zebredy wrote: »

I have to start the plan as soon as possible cause its 14 days before I can claim on it..

That sounds as if there's something "on the go" already?

gettingready

Try Argos Platinum - I done a quote for my 6 last night at both PetPlan and Argos Platinum and for very similar cover Argos was much cheaper - both offer for life policies but Argos was cheaper.

zebredy

OMG Petplan is almost double what Directline have quoted me, how can they be so different.

I was expecting maybe £5-£10 difference, but one plan is around £38 and the other wants well over £60 for similar insurance...

No wonder with prices that high, some people don't insure there pets..


Edit - Argos pet insurance sounds good for the price, but going by many online reviews from unhappy customers, I'm gona steer clear of them for now, thanks anyway...

uolypool

Hi I have my dog insured with Vetsmedicover , Their insurance i have found to be excellent, from having a quick look on their website it costs £14 a month per cat and if it is the same as the dog insurance they are insured with a £10,000 limit per year on a lifetime policy as long as you renew each year.The dog excess is £80 .Like I said I have the dog insurance with them and the claim I have just had to do was paid out within 10 days.

zebredy

uolypool wrote: »

Hi I have my dog insured with Vetsmedicover , Their insurance i have found to be excellent, from having a quick look on their website it costs £14 a month per cat and if it is the same as the dog insurance they are insured with a £10,000 limit per year on a lifetime policy as long as you renew each year.The dog excess is £80 .Like I said I have the dog insurance with them and the claim I have just had to do was paid out within 10 days.

Will have a quick look on there site, thanks. At the moment I think we are going with Petplan, but Vetsmedicover sound good for the money (will do a google search for reviews as well)