Pet Insurance for Cats

Have you ever considered purchasing pet insurance for cats? The time to find out more about it is now, before your feline becomes ill or injured.

Picture this scenario: You open your door to sign for a parcel from the postman, and your cat dodges through your legs and out the door before you barely have time to realize what happened. Your pet immediately bolts into the street in the path of oncoming traffic.

Incidents like this happen everyday. Sometimes the situation has a happy ending, sometimes not. It's the times that it doesn't that can leave pet owners with the blues and the bills.

Purchasing pet insurance for cats is one way to protect yourself against hefty, unexpected veterinary bills. For a fee, an insurance plan will share the cost of covered health services for your pet.

This can give you the freedom to make health care decisions based solely on your cat's needs and not your wallet. However, finding a health plan that fits your cat's needs and is worth the price of the policy is another issue.

Although pet insurance for cats can be a real life saver in certain situations, it's only as good as the policy you purchase, so be prepared to do plenty of research and ask a lot of questions before you commit to a plan.

If you already have a veterinarian you trust, the last thing you want to do is switch to someone new, but you may have to do just that if you're not careful.

While some pet insurance providers allow you to remain with your current vet as long as he/she agrees to honor the terms of your policy, just as many insist you choose a vet from their own list of care providers. Make sure you understand exactly what each company's policy is on this very important issue.

Each insurance company differs from the next, so there's a lot of variety in the types of policies available. Some plans strictly cover emergency care, while others may include coverage for some routine health care needs, such as vaccinations.

For an additional fee, most companies offer add-on riders to cover the cost of chronic illness like cancer, heart disease and kidney disease.

Just as important as knowing which services are included in your plan is understanding what's not covered. Many plans will not cover treatment for any pre-existing conditions that are already in your cat's health record. Additionally, some services you might assume would be covered, such as spaying and neutering are often not included, so be sure of what you're getting for your premium.

In addition to the premium you pay for the policy, pet insurance for cats usually involves co-pays and deductibles, just like insurance for people. Some plans come with a flat rate deductible, while others require you to pay a percentage of your total vet bill.

Your out-of-pocket expenses can also be affected by caps in the coverage provided. Nearly all plans set some sort of limit on what they will pay out for treatments. It may be a cap per procedure, per year or per lifetime, leaving you to pay the balance.

The decision whether to purchase pet insurance for cats is a very personal one. Most pet owners will find themselves in one of three categories.

• For some owners, an unexpected health emergency could become a financial crisis. An insurance policy might make good sense if the premium is affordable.
• For other pet lovers, the cost of premiums, deductibles and co-pays might add up to more than they would have paid on their own, especially if their cat remains healthy and doesn't need more than routine care.
• For owners who would have no difficulty paying a large vet bill on demand, it might make more sense to forego purchasing a policy altogether.

In the end, it's really a calculated gamble. Do you want to pay out money for your cat's care now in anticipation of a future health care crisis? For some, the peace of mind alone is worth the price. It's also possible that you could pay for a policy that you might never get your money's worth from.

Life is unpredictable, so all you can do is weigh the risks against the costs and make a decision you and your cat can live with.

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