Pet insurance with pre-existing condition

slhqoue

We have been looking after a neighbour's two cats for about 9 months. The neighbour has proposed we 'adopt' the cats from now on, which we are keen to do. They are both 13 years old. Recently one of them had an episode where she couldn't walk in a straight line and was struggling to stand up. This then happened again. We all think it might have been a mini stroke. We took the cat to the vet and they said it was worth getting a blood test (~£70) and a heart scan (~£500-600). The neighbour doesn't have pet insurance. They have said they will pay the cost for the test/scan if we all decide it is the best thing to do. However, being in the position where we are looking to adopt them, I'm wondering how we would go about getting pet insurance given these pre-existing conditions?

sheramber

You won't get cover for any pre pre existing  condition or anything that can be related to it.
You will also find  not all companies will insure a pet of that age - unless already insured with them- and it will b expensive.
 Taking on an animal of that age you should be prepared for  incurring vet fees.

pinkteapot

Pet insurance isn't like human medical insurance - you won't be covered for any previous symptoms, not just named and diagnosed conditions. As you've been to a vet already, this issue is 'known'.

You could get insurance that would cover things they've never had before, but as sheramber said, pet insurance for elderly pets is brutally expensive even with a clean medical history. Most people give up with insurance before that age and put the money to one side instead. Our cat's only 8 but we've scrapped his high-quality lifetime insurance this year and gone for a cheaper annual policy which is far less comprehensive but would cover some things. Even that I think we'll abandon within another couple of years.

MalMonroe

I think that's a really lovely story and kudos to your neighbours for offering to pay for the tests. Those are two lucky cats! Problem is that tests may just be the tip of the iceberg as they may reveal long term illness/es which could turn out to be costly. Or the cat could have an ear infection, or vestibular disease (a cat we once had suffered from that) both can cause dizziness.  But whatever, it sounds like both cats are going to be well cared for.

Pet insurance, as others have said, is costly for elderly pets and doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. We started paying for insurance for our little kit (we found her on the roadside when she was tiny and had an eye infection - which of course was pre-existing so not covered by the new insurance policy) but after about 6 years we decided to stop because she's an indoor cat and the premiums kept rising and we weren't claiming. I don't think I'd have stopped paying if she went outdoors though. 

slhqoue

Thanks all for your kind and thoughtful responses. We had no idea that older cats had this issue with insurance, and from what you've said it seems like trying to get the cats insured probably wouldn't be worth it. Thanks again.

Penelopa.Pitstop

Still worth checking for quotes. I have 11y (in reality 12y, mistake with date of birth on documentation) old cat and insurance was cheaper for her than for 2y old car. Don't ask how and why.

I guess, it won't be the case in future, because I had a claim this year and they will hike the insurance. Cat was healthy for 12 years and then suddenly suffered from breath shortness and it costed £3200 for all diagnostic and hospital stay. So even if cat doesn't go out and is healthy, you never know, when you can be hit with high bill and it might be worth keeping insurance going.

I paid fortune for my previous cat treatment, that was old and expensive to insure but in fact, it would be cheaper to pay high insurance than for the treatment from my own pocket.

sheramber

Getting insurance for the first time for an  older pet  is restricted to a few companies.  Very different  to when they have been insured since young. There may also be a limit on the cover for time or maximum payout.   

 It is easy to get a quote on line to see what is available.  It was just a warning that it may not be as easy as the OP thought to get  the cover they  expected.
It is also worth checking out the companies offering cover for their reliability in paying out.

As you said once you claim the cost will  go up so you end up paying for it in the long run or go without  insurance for any future treatment.
If you have paid for 12 years without a claim how much have you paid overall?
Insurance companies are in the business of making a profit for shareholders.
What customers are buying is peace of mind that thy won't have to pay out for a large bill.
 

Tammer

I took on my mum's cat as she went into a nursing home.   As the cat was 9, I didn't get insurance as I thought it would be difficult at his age and I've never had a bill more than £1000 in all years of owning cats.
Unfortunately the cat was hit by a car and had a broken pelvis, ruptured bladder and needed his leg amputated.   These injuries were not all immediately obvious and the cost of this has been horrific.   
It is easy to read of vets fees for certain situations and think "pah, I'd just put the cat down if it came to that" and so decide insurance is unnecessary.  It is a different story when it happens to your pet and you don't know what's happened,  and the vets don't know the extent of the problems. You will have incurred a large cost before you even know what needs done.
I think it is worth checking what insurance is available. 
Whilst in the vet's surgery, I noticed, prompting a desire for a time machine,  a poster for some sort of care plan that covered annual check ups and accidents and 1 or 2 other scenarios. This sort of thing might be useful? 

Terri_W

Has anyone got the names of Insurers who cover Pre-Existing conditions. I already have my cat insured for his condition but wanted to shop around and I cannot find any other insurers other than Many Pets that I currently use. Thanks