Do I get pet insurance?

Kim_kim

I’ve had Harry since July, I haven’t bought pet insurance (yet).  He’s a Burmese, he does go out - I’m rural ish.
I can afford vets bills.  

I’ve had vet insurance on and off over the years with cats, I’ve never claimed a penny off it.  I’ve had some animals that I just paid the vets bills on myself & it worked out better value.
Obviously if affording a vets bill could be a real issue then it’s a no brainier, but if you can cover it, is it a gamble you take? 

If I was to get pet insurance - should I go for pet plan? 

KxMx

Definitely get Pet Plan. 

They paid my £3k claim as quickly and with no quibbles as the £30 claims. 

I've always had insurance so perhaps not best placed to answer, but my £3k bill was for diagnosis only, big bills don't always come from intensive treatment. 

My view always was not to think about it purely in terms of value and pounds and pence, especially if you can afford the bills anyway. I was always happy to pay the insurance costs for peace of mind. It's a coincidence that the one illness I had to claim for exceeded the lifetime of payments I made. Had she died without needing any Vet tests then I still would have been happy with the money I paid to PetPlan for peace of mind. 

I suppose when deciding whether to take that gamble you should consider what you'd do with no insurance, if your circumstances had changed and you could no longer afford the bills. It may be too late by that point to get insurance. 

Mnoee

We choose not to insure our cats (two indoor moggies). The money we save by not insuring goes towards buying them high quality food to help prevent things like diabetes or kidney problems later down the line. We also have savings just in case. I realise that it's a gamble, but we're happy enough like this. 

elsien

It’s like any insurance - quite often you don’t need it but it’s there for the times when you might.
My current dog hasn’t cost me a huge amount - I’ve probably claimed about 2K in 6 years but my previous rescue had so many issues I claimed far more than I ever paid in. Plus I also value the 3rd party cover because a) my bull terrier is an idiot and b) people react badly to bull terriers even when they’re not the ones in the wrong. I’m in it as much for the accident/getting sued cover as anything else.

Might your Burmese be prone to any breed specific ailments that could be expensive in the long run? I always go Petplan. They are dearer but I’ve not had a claim refused yet, even dental work. 

donnac2558

My cats have always been indoor Burmese.  What I do is save with my credit union as none of the cats over the years really needed high bills and usually under the excess amount anyway.  Teeth needing sorted which as far as I know none of the insurance companies will cover anyway.  All lived until old age Delilah had kidney problems but the blood done every 4 months around £40 and the tablets not expensive and I could afford.  It was cancer which claimed her in the end.

Brambling

I've always self insured my cats and have a 'kitty' kitty to cover the vet plus I have additional savings if required.  My last two cats which I lost within 6 months of each other cost me approx £2k the last few months including medicines and operations but cost me very little in their 12 and 16 years with vet bills (other than their annual jabs) it easily came within what monthly insurance costs would have been.  I chose not to take the insurance with my rescue cat he required a x-ray the first year and he had a dental treatment recently. 

FYI - If I have a dog I would take out insurance but mainly due to any legal cover

Kim_kim

I’ve never had a cat that required anything major, which probably colours my thoughts. 
To be honest, the way cats are about going to the vets - I’ve always thought that if a cat had something that required really frequent medical visits, then it would be kinder to let them go & not put them through the ordeal of it, or if they had something physical like loosing a limb that would affect their mobility.
That being said, I’ve never been in that position with a beloved pet, not being ready to say goodbye & having medical options.

Kim_kim

elsien said:

Might your Burmese be prone to any breed specific ailments that could be expensive in the long run? I always go Petplan. They are dearer but I’ve not had a claim refused yet, even dental work. 

That’s a really good point - il look into that.  

KxMx

Kim_kim said:

I’ve never had a cat that required anything major, which probably colours my thoughts. 
To be honest, the way cats are about going to the vets - I’ve always thought that if a cat had something that required really frequent medical visits, then it would be kinder to let them go & not put them through the ordeal of it, or if they had something physical like loosing a limb that would affect their mobility.
That being said, I’ve never been in that position with a beloved pet, not being ready to say goodbye & having medical options.

That was one of the reasons that I didn't persue treatment for my cat, she was a very very nervous patient and staying 36 hours for her second round of tests must have been awfully frightening for her. With a terminal diagnosis she would have at best got another couple years which would have meant very regular visits for blood tests while sedated and chemo tablets, orally administered while she was awake... She wouldn't even permit nail clipping! 

Unfortunately as I said the diagnostic bill was £3000, so making that decision didn't mean I avoided a big bill. 

Brambling

I think it depends on the animal, the illness and how well we know our pet. If you know your animal there is a look in their eyes which tells you they have had enough and it's time to let them go.  

The vet once told me that cats are very good at hiding they are ill and it's often too late by the time they show symptoms.  

One cat I had went from eating breakfast as usual one morning to being very sick when I got home from work. The vet called me from the operation table to tell me she had a tumour on her liver, I told him to not to do anything else just let her go.  My second cat was diagnosed with a under active thyroid shortly afterwards and required daily tablets which meant regular blood tests to monitor levels.  After discussions with the vet she had her thyroid removed some of that reasoning was to avoid the daily battle with tablets and the need for frequent stressful trips to the vet.  Unfortunately I found her after she was hit by a car which was the last horrendous trip to the vet. 

donnac2558

Cats and dogs can manage very very well on three legs.  It is the owners who go Oh no I don't want that.