New kitten - insure or not?

ozma83

Aw what's wrong with her?

The excess I am quoted is £95

Tiglath

We've had all our cats insured with Direct Line and they've always been brilliant. Currently got 9 with them which is £150/month (some of the cats are quite old now) but they've paid out thousands over the years when we've needed it. One broken leg cost over £3000, then there was the amputated tail, and a blocked bladder (2 weeks in 'intensive care'), various infections, abcesses, tests. Our vet will deal directly with the insurer if the estimated bill is £300+. I'd much rather have peace of mind knowing my cats can be treated immediately if they need it, rather than wondering where I can find the money. They're part of our family so they deserve that level of potential care.

ozma83

Thanks Tiglath. I was just looking at Directline now (after the vet mentioned them). What about dental treatment? They only cover injury...

Tiglath

No, no dental treatment with DL. We've had the odd tooth extracted over the years - I remember one of old boys costing us £500 for dental the day before we went on holiday. Our oldest boy has no teeth whatsoever now - he just snaps his gums like a turtle Another one has lost both her front fangs, but they all seem okay toothwise apart from that. We can't put dry food down because our oldest boy nearly died from Iams (that was the crystals in the bladder), so it's Felix all the way with the odd treat of Dreamies for the others.

ozma83

I could not afford to pay £500 for dental treatment... can hardly afford it for myself!!

gettingready

Only PetPlan covers dental and only provided yo do dental check every year.

becky4131

I would highly recommend pet plan!

I am a vet nurse and see so many insurance companies refusing to pay bills or taking months to sort out claims. Pet plan will process claim and payment within 7 days of receiving and like already mentioned most vets will happily do direct claims because they are reliable and quick to pay.

Another thing to think about is your premium each year. Some companies will shoot up the premium once you have claimed and i know pet plan do not. My cats are insured with pet plan and although i have claimed my premium has only gone up £2 a month in 8 years!

Any insurance is better than none but once you have a pre-existing condition you are pretty much stuck with the company so making the right decision is crucial.

jemb

Animal friends are really good. And our two cost £3.23 each a month.

gettingready

jemb wrote: »

Animal friends are really good. And our two cost £3.23 each a month.

Pls do not recommend them unless you have claimed anything and they actually paid up. Have you claimed for anything?

Google AnimalFriends - all happy customers when they sign up as insurance cheap.

All broke customers when they make a claim and Animal Friends does not pay out.

Or occasionally pay but then exclude all connected from future claims.

becky4131

I second that! Animal friends is awful and hardly worth having because they try to find a way out of paying for anything. I have seen cases of them refusing claims for thousands of pounds of treatment, you really do get what you pay for.