Pet Insurance

[Lollypop]

Ok, so we have a new brown tabby MC kitten Meredith Rose and I am looking into insurance for her when her current 4 weeks with Petplan expires..

My instinct says to stick with Petplan as I do trust them more than other providers such as supermarkets/banks etc- after all pet insurance is what they Do.

I want Lifetime Cover and am leaning towards the top cover of 12k per year (Lifetime Ultimate) rather than the classic cover of 7k.

Has anyone any opinions on insurance- providers or amount of cover and their experience of an aging or ill Maine Coon? What level of cover do you think we will need? If she ever developed one of the problems MC's are plagued by- HCM or hip dysplacia for example, would 7k insurance per year be enough? Or is 12k much better?

Any help gratefully received. The difference in the monthly payment is £16.96 vs £22.05

Thanks xxx

[Wivelspiker]

I was with Petplan for a while but I'm now with Animal Friends and I have no complaints - I would suggest they might be worth a look. Like you, I wanted lifetime cover and that's what I have now. Of course the real test would be when and if I need to call on the insurer to refund but the reviews were good. I checked reviews of all insurers that I considered and was put off one or two by what was said.

I have never had to pay huge vet bills for a cat but my dog was very ill towards the end of his life and I probably spent about £2k in a year which was at the back of my mind when I was considering pet insurance.

Another thing that I took into account was that some companies reduce the level of cover or increase premiums as your pet ages. I suppose it's all about balancing risk.... Good luck with your investigations

[Lollypop]

Hi Wivel, Thanks for your reply

Thats a very good point about reducing cover/increasing premiums as the cat ages- it didnt even occur to me that they may do this! Thats a question i will have to check with them, thank you. Sneakies!!!

Are there any other hidden naughties that the companies screw you with anyone knows of?!

I know that with lifetime cover you Have to be with them literally for the lifetime of the cat- you cant cancel for 2 years and then go back to them, there cant be a break in the cover :( If you take out the 7k cover and then want to upgrade to 12k cover you can do so but only if the cat doesnt have any 'long term' illness which would indicate why you decided to upgrade. Heart problems and diabetes for example. Injuries wouldnt count. I would be concerned as to how they decide what is a long term problem- what if they tried to say that your cats sneezies you claimed for on 7k were the result of some deeper ongoing problem and therefore no you cant have 12k cover now (basic example!!)

I will check the reviews and hold out here for more opinions

Thanks! xx

[Weasel]

Hi there,

Our last cat was insured with Petplan and they certainly paid me lots of money on a regular basis, they were nice on the phone and I have no complaints. This time round we are using Vetsure who are affiliated with our vet practice. They came out about the same as the other "premium" insurance policies on Go Compare and Compare the Market (they have several levels of cover if you want something cheaper) and worked out at about £16 per month for Sidney. However, for an extra £10 per month you get a bundle of vouchers for neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, flea and worm treatments and various other things. I did the sums and worked out that it was a good idea to do this in the first year, but after that the vouchers would be less useful as there were several for things that you only have done once per lifetime. So far so good, but we haven't actually made a claim yet!

[H&SWells]

you have the right idea with lifetime cover , check for percentage excess as some companies have a 10% excess risingto 20% at age 9 i think ...and if you are refered for something serious you could be looking at an excess fee of £400-£500!!! i have stuck with petplan but mainly because i get vets discount as i work there. E& L do a policy that seems too good to believe, not sure if its only a dog one but it is £5000 per MONTH i.e they pay out up to that each and every month!! Not sure what the premiums are though.

[Muddiwarx]

I have had bad experiences (dogs) with e and l so would not use, my kitten is with Animal Friends