pet insurance for 3 cats

faerielight

the PDSA I use has moved 25 miles away , which is too far to go in an emergency, I want to get cat insurance for my 3 cats but I could do with some advice as I've never taken out a policy before.. My 3 are 6 years old, one has a heart murmur and the other has just had an accident anf has dislocated his knee. what companies are best ?

sheramber

Remember, any exsisting conditions will not be covered by a policy taken out now nor any arising in the first 10-14 days of cover, depending on the policy.

So,for example, any problems arising in later years from the dislocated knee , such as arthritis, would not be covered.

As the surgery has moved do any of the local surgeries deal with PDSA cases. My surgery is a PDSA pet practice who povide treatment to eligible clients. You do need to register with the vet surgery in advance and only one pet can be registered.

For insurance, go for a policy which gives lifetime cover.

This can either be a renewable amount of vet fees claimable each policy year, or a maximum amount of fees that can be claimed over the lifetime of the animal until that maximum is reached.

You could look at Petplan who have a good reputation.

PDSA advertise a policy on their website which might be worth looking at. I have no personal knowedge of it.

You can do online quotes to compare cover and premiums but always read the policy document carefully so that you know exactly what you are covered for and what is excluded.

if it is important that your vet can claim direct from the insurance company, rather than you paying up front and claimong it back, then check with him which companies he will do this for.

missbiggles1

With multiple cats (I have 5, previously 7) it's often more economical to self insure, particularly when pre existing conditions are involved.

faerielight

thank you so much for your replies.. what do you mean, to self insure? the PDSA is still in my city, but they used to use a local vets nearby for nights and weekend emergencies but that has moved to the other vets far away.. I do have a car but I have disabilities and it's too far to go, especially more than once in a row.. I will look at getting lifetime cover, it seems about £55 a month for all 3 .. eye wateringly expensive when I'm skint, but I will have to find the money as they are my precious babies!

Rev

faerielight wrote: »

thank you so much for your replies.. what do you mean, to self insure? the PDSA is still in my city, but they used to use a local vets nearby for nights and weekend emergencies but that has moved to the other vets far away.. I do have a car but I have disabilities and it's too far to go, especially more than once in a row.. I will look at getting lifetime cover, it seems about £55 a month for all 3 .. eye wateringly expensive when I'm skint, but I will have to find the money as they are my precious babies!

Self insure is putting the cash you would be spending on a policy into a savings account every month then using that when going to the vets. Another option is a credit card that is only ever used for vets, payed off and left for the next vets visit etc. I know some go that route.


You have to weight up if it's worth it to insure. You said one cat has heart murmur so any heart condition won't be covered. Nor will any issues relating to the cats leg.


Anything the cat has been the vet with before is considered a pre existing condition and isn't covered under insurance. Besides vaccinations which also aren't covered but most insurance companies require vaccinations to be up to date or cover is void (or it could be that any issue that occurs that could have been prevented by vaccinations isn't covered). I believe insurance policies don't cover dental too but that's worth checking as maybe some do.


Pet plan are usually quite popular. They are more expensive but I've heard a lot of people say they don't bump up premiums year after year (how true that is I don't know).


Also with their age it will be more expensive and will go up year after year even if you don't claim.


So basically work out if you think it's better to pay £55 to an insurance company and be prepared to pay more next year, and the year after etc. or if it would be better to put £50 a month into a savings account or take out a credit card to use solely for the vets.

gettingready

PetPlan covers dental for cats.

OP - apart from paying the insurance premiums each month you need to remember you will also have to pay excess (that varies between different insurers) for each condition per year if you do need to visit vets. Excess you will have to pay yourself. Also depending on which policy you go for - vets do not always accept direct claims so you may have to pay first and then claim the insurance yourself.

As cats have pre-existing conditions I am really not sure this would work for you at all as those would not be covered.

If you qualify for the PDSA - I doubt you would be financially able to cover insurance and any excess if when needed.

Or perhaps live one of the cats uninsured (the worst one health wise as would be ore existing anyway) and treat at PDSA if needed and insure the other two? I understand PDSA lets you register one pet only?

sheramber

Have you checked whether the local vet does their own out of hours cover. PDSA may have moved because the local vet has moved their cover there.

Many surgeries are now passing their out of hours covers to one surgery- often miles away. These companies only move in where several vets sign up with them , otherwise it is not profitable.

No point is changing vets if they have the same arrangement


Paying £55 per month amounts to £660 per year.

Self insuring would mean that money could be put into a bank account and saved until needed.

The premiums will go up each year, particulrly in the second year as there is usually a first year reduction, and when the animal reaches a certain age.

Petplan do not tend to have the big hikes in premiums that other companies do , but they do increase premiums each year to cover increased costs and inflation.

Obviously, it takes time to build up an amount but at least you have the money, not lost to an insurance company.

Remember, you will still have to pay an excess for each condition you claim for and you cannot claim for anything that might be related in any way to a previous condiiton- so nothing connected with the heart murmur, nothing connected to the damaged leg, either now in the future.

If you vet bill comes to less than the excess ( which may include a percentage of the bill after a certain age) then you will not be able to claim anything back.

These payments will be on top of your monthly premiums.



Can you still use PDSA during normal hours?


It is a difficult decision.

Pay out money that you may or may not benefit from or put money away to use when needed and hope you have enough.

There is no right answer. It is what is right for you.

Some people prefer the comfort of having insurance available, others would rather keep the money in a bank account and use if needed. But it is always their money.