Help/advice on Pet Insurance for cat nearly 12

esmecullen

I need some advice on pet insurance.

Currently with Argos, but they want to charge double because moggie (not his name btw) is nearly 12.

Bit of background, moggie is very healthy I have never claimed on my insurance since he was a tiny fluff ball, only time he goes to the vet is for his check up and vaccinations. Vet says for his age he's never seen a healthier cat:)

I was with Healthy Pets for ages, then they increased the premium to double when he was 7 as they said he was an elderly cat, it didnt wash with them that I had never made a claim all the time he was insured, so said I would not renew.

Went to Argos, to tell you the truth, I was not really impressed with their customer service, had to call them as they'd spelt his name wrong, they told me it couldnt be changed. Though "oh well cant have everything", the monthly premiums were quite affordable.

Anyways....... to present day............ he is coming up to 12 this year, still in fabulous health and I've had the renewal for this year through from Argos and I've nearly fainted at the monthly premium:mad: Like Healthy Pets previously, they've doubled the montly premiums:(

Now I do realise that as cats grow older, they are more prone to ilness, but surely there must be some insurance company that specialises in older cats that are in good health or that give you a discount for no claims and you dont have to take out a 2nd mortgage to pay the premiums.

Can anyone help?

fluffnutter

Cats are 'elderly' at 7 years old now, are they? !!!!!!? Insurance is for peace of mind; for the majority of people it will be an absolute waste of money. If you're prepared to take the risk, why not cancel the money-grabbing policies (which will keep going up, btw) and put the same amount into a special kitty fund. That way, you'll have some money if (God forbid) mog gets poorly but you're not constantly subject to premiums hikes and the knowledge that all you're doing is increasing some company's profits.

Pet insurance is getting such a bad name at the moment. Understandably so.

esmecullen

Thanks fluffnutter........... I think I will do that, my head is swimming with searching the internet trying to find a pet insurer that is reasonably priced. Even tried Compare the Market, Money Supermarket for comparisons and I just dont understand some of the terms and conditions. One company that has been on the TV I called (an 0845 no, got another number tho from Say No to 0870) and basically they will not insure a cat or dog who is 8 or over totally ridiculous!

My vet is shocked at some of the price increases he has been told about by some of his clients

Yes think the best way is open a saving account for moggie and cancel the insurance before it comes into force

thanks again

walwin

Winnie is 13 and I've fortunately never had to claim on the insurance but Axa put the premium up 43% last year when she was 12. :eek:

I did enquire why it was such a hefty increase but they said it reflected the increase in claims.

It's due for renewal in May so I'm just hoping it doesn't increase by such a huge amount this year

georgiesmum

I was with Tesco for over 10 years for 4 cats, and when i had to take one of my cats to the vets, first time, they wouldn't pay out because he was over 8 and it was for tooth extractions. !0 years payments wasted. Luckily enough i qualify for PDSA now. They are a godsend.

KxMx

I would happily pay the higher premiums for peace of mind. It's not unusual for vet bills to reach the high £100s or even £1000s and putting a little away in an account each month would be useless. Unless you think you can easily afford the bills should something happen then keep the insurance.

Age does increase the risk of problems (although counting 7 as senior is stupid these days with all the advances in vetrinary medicine and food) and being an indoors for example doesn't come risk free either. It's all about deciding the best option for you rather than listen to someone telling you all insurance is a con. For cover of 7k per year per condition I am quite happy paying out £9.41 a month and wouldn't flinch at triple that.

I've been there with an uninsured cat who had to be PTS at just 5years old due to liver failure (cause unknown). Or a friend who thankfully didn't have to find 2k after her insured cat who didn't go outside fell awkwardly from a shelf and shattered his leg. Neither of us could have afforded much in the way of saving each month and wouldn't have been nearly enough anyway.

Lessons learnt cats are now all insured lol.

Yolina

I've always "self-insured" my cats (and most things apart from obviously car and house insurance). Given that it seems that they do their best to try and get out of paying, I'd rather just know that I have the money if it's needed.

esmecullen

I agree that insurance for pets is 9 times out of 10 for peace of mind, but what I cannot agree with is if you've paid for x amount of years and never ever made a claim, and your cat gets to, say in my case, almost 12yrs............. then that insurer decides to double or triple because the cat is a certain age! Surely that is wrong! Its like your car or home insurer saying "oh you are over 40....... yes we agree that you've never made a claim but because of your age we are increasing you premiums to 2 or 3 times what you paid last year!"

I'm not going to say that its a scam but my view is that its proffiterring at the caring animal owners expense!

Hillbilly1

Having seen both sides of the argument (a pet owner and vet nurse) I cannot advise a GOOD policu strongly enough, and people READING what is covered.

Dental is rarely covered, expcet with decent policies. V few companies will touch cats over 10 and dogs over 8. More Than I think are currently the best with £7k per condition for the life if the cat.

Can you tell us what the premium is with Argis as they are the same underwriter as More Than. Some if us may also be able to put into context if this premium is huge compared with claims we have made.

FYI

Cat 1 insured for 10yrs. Prob paid about £4k over the 10 years, dx with heart disease and claims £8k before she passed.

Cat 2 insured for 7 years currently paying £41 per month, but claiming at least £100 per month so even if nothing further happens even iwth excesses am still ahead of self insurance.

Dog 1 insured for 11 months (paid £330) when clained £5.5k for spinal surgery, all paid. Still having hydrotherapy 2 years later covered by insurance.

All NOT possible with self insurance, or with chopping and changing insurers.