Am I paying too much for Cat Insurance?

Kapkirk

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Just got a renewal from Tesco Pet Ins, was paying £17.50 per Month last year, this year it has gone up to £22.70 per Month, cat is 12 years old.
Is this reasonable or do you think this is too much and should I get another quote?
Thanks in advance.
 
Nobody can really tell you if it’s too much because every set of circumstances is different. It will depend on the age and health history of the cat, the average cost of treatments a cat of that age might need, your postcode, and probably other things I can’t think of right now.
It you’re curious as to whether that price is expensive or not just get more quotes.
 
Just got a renewal from Tesco Pet Ins, was paying £17.50 per Month last year, this year it has gone up to £22.70 per Month, cat is 12 years old.
Is this reasonable or do you think this is too much and should I get another quote?
Thanks in advance.
Always get a comparative quote, but any aging pet is worth getting some form of insurance due to astronomical vets rates and the emotional attachment that means you’ll accept any bills down the line.

I was on the hook for £5k a decade ago,when I lost a dog aged 12, this time around I paid 20% excess/deductible each time an event happened.

An extra £5.00 a month is negligible tbh
 
The problem you have is the cats age. You will be stuck with your current insurer as no new insurer will take them on, so they can pretty much charge what they want. As it gets older the premium will continue to increase significantly.

It’s up to you to decide if it is worth paying or if you would be better off putting what you would be paying as a premium aside into a savings account. £22 for a 12 year old cat doesn’t sound too bad, but expect it to increase loads every year.
 
Crikey! I'd be over the moon if our cat's insurance was only £22.70.

Our cat is 13 - although she'll be 14 in January - and her Petplan premium is now £44.57 per month.
 
We gave up insuring our cats and put money in to a savings account instead.
 
We gave up insuring our cats and put money in to a savings account instead.
Quite a few people are doing that now as there are some half decent interest rates becoming available and at least if you do that you've still got the money if you don't need to use it for vet's bills.
 
Hi, we don`t insure our dogs, never have done. As Desmo mentions above we save money monthly into a separate account. We consider the premiums charged by insurers are extortionate and prefer to take a chance with nature. Win some lose some!
 
Quite a few people are doing that now as there are some half decent interest rates becoming available and at least if you do that you've still got the money if you don't need to use it for vet's bills.
the only thing that always worries me about that is what if a big vet bill comes in only a couple months in to doing that.
We have pet insurance for the first 5 years or so, incase of puppy mishaps or something long term showing up but put roughly the same amount in savings too so we have that cushion when we stop the insurance. I know we're lucky to be able to do this, not everyone could afford to
 
Just got a renewal from Tesco Pet Ins, was paying £17.50 per Month last year, this year it has gone up to £22.70 per Month, cat is 12 years old.
Is this reasonable or do you think this is too much and should I get another quote?
Thanks in advance.
It's always worth getting quotes. The insurer I was with for my cats added a 20% excess so I shopped around and found the cheapest at the time was actually Tesco - I did find it odd though that it's more expensive to insure a male, I'd never heard of that before. Mine are both 6 and I pay just over £10 per month for the female and £15 for the male plus I did get £50 worth of Tesco vouchers for each account. I would say £22.70 for a 12 year old isn't too bad but it does seem to be a large jump from last year so might be worth talking to them..
 
We didn’t have any pet insurance or any kind of pet plan for our Bengal Scooby. We had an annual check up and boosters each year which we paid for as and when required. He needed vaccinations every year to enable him to stay in the cattery we use whilst we go on holiday. Unfortunately, he suffered multiple organ failure and had to be put down to prevent any further suffering. His vet’s bills in the final few weeks of his life totalled over four thousand pounds! Fortunately, we were able to pay these bills without it causing us us a financial problem…but only just.

Looking back, and with hindsight, I think we would do the same again. Maybe this time we would set up a separate savings account just for any unexpected vet’s bills etc. If you are fortunate enough to not need to use the funds then all well and good…it can never hurt to have some funds available should the occasion arise.

Although loosing Scooby happened over a year ago I can honestly state that I think of him every day and miss him so very very much :( 🙏

This is the last photo I took of him before all the trouble began…

BFB9F6EF-E15A-40C5-AB55-EEAB1B48B51E.jpeg
 
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It's always worth getting quotes. The insurer I was with for my cats added a 20% excess so I shopped around and found the cheapest at the time was actually Tesco - I did find it odd though that it's more expensive to insure a male, I'd never heard of that before. Mine are both 6 and I pay just over £10 per month for the female and £15 for the male plus I did get £50 worth of Tesco vouchers for each account. I would say £22.70 for a 12 year old isn't too bad but it does seem to be a large jump from last year so might be worth talking to them..
The problem is as I mentioned above the age of the cat. You can shop around when they are under 10 or so but after that most insurers won’t even offer cover, so you are left with your current insurer and either have to pay what they demand or cancel it. They know you can’t go elsewhere.
 
We didn’t have any pet insurance or any kind of pet plan for our Bengal Scooby. We had an annual check up and boosters each year which we paid for as and when required. He needed vaccinations every year to enable him to stay in the cattery we use whilst we go on holiday. Unfortunately, he suffered multiple organ failure and had to be put down to prevent any further suffering. His vet’s bills in the final few weeks of his life totalled over four thousand pounds! Fortunately, we were able to pay these bills without it causing us us a financial problem…but only just.

Looking back, and with hindsight, I think we would do the same again. Maybe this time we would set up a separate savings account just for any unexpected vet’s bills etc. If you are fortunate enough to not need to use the funds then all well and good…it can never hurt to have some funds available should the occasion arise.

Although loos Scooby happened over a year ago I can honestly state that I think of him every day and miss him so very very much :( 🙏

This is the last photo I took of him before all the trouble began…

View attachment 1788008
What a beautiful cat. You must miss him enormously.
1669577686359.gif
 
It's always worth getting quotes. The insurer I was with for my cats added a 20% excess so I shopped around and found the cheapest at the time was actually Tesco - I did find it odd though that it's more expensive to insure a male, I'd never heard of that before. Mine are both 6 and I pay just over £10 per month for the female and £15 for the male plus I did get £50 worth of Tesco vouchers for each account. I would say £22.70 for a 12 year old isn't too bad but it does seem to be a large jump from last year so might be worth talking to them..
Tesco pet insurance is generally considered to be one of the better ones but my gripe with all insurers is that they won't cover dental clean ups or routine teeth removal in cats which most of them need as they get older.
I've just been quoted £800 to £900 for a dental on my 13 year cat. It's no good shopping around as all the vet's practices in my area have been bought up by the same big company so there's no competition.
 
Considering our 17 year old costs us about 89 a month, I reckon you’re ok!
 
Tesco pet insurance is generally considered to be one of the better ones but my gripe with all insurers is that they won't cover dental clean ups or routine teeth removal in cats which most of them need as they get older.
I've just been quoted £800 to £900 for a dental on my 13 year cat. It's no good shopping around as all the vet's practices in my area have been bought up by the same big company so there's no competition.
I agree about the dental - when I was growing up, we never brushed our dog's teeth and they all lived to a good age with no dental problems so you have to wonder what's changed. Vets and pet food companies have probably got together and there's something in the food causing tooth decay.

Sadly I think people have and will continue to get rid of their pets because they can't afford the vet fees - this is a situation that could be avoided if the fees weren't so high or vets offered payment plans as they did in the past.
 
Just got my renewal quote through for one male cat 2.5 years old. No ongoing issues and they want £660 a year😡. That's for £12,500 cover a £95 excess and 10% copayment!

Anyone recommend a good pet insurer?

Did a quick quote via John Lewis and only £300 for basically same cover!
1000014265.jpg


Just checked and in year one it was £312 and last year £420
 
Just got my renewal quote through for one male cat 2.5 years old. No ongoing issues and they want £660 a year😡. That's for £12,500 cover a £95 excess and 10% copayment!

Anyone recommend a good pet insurer?

Did a quick quote via John Lewis and only £300 for basically same cover!
View attachment 2005445

Just checked and in year one it was £312 and last year £420
If you have on going issues which has had a claim made for it then you'll have to tell any new potential insurers and those insurers may very well not cover you for that particular condition. Once claimed the insurers have locked into them for the animals life time. I found out that the hard way with a dog.
 
My cats are housecats, so the circumstances are not the same as all.

I've never insured them as the monthly costs over their lifetime vs what treatments they've required and the insurance would pay for just don't stack up.
They've never been neglected of veterinary care. I've just spent £1100 on one of mine who's getting towards the end of life at 18 years old but that's the first major bill I've ever had for her. Other than annual checkups and vaccine boosters, which wouldn't be covered by insurance, I've maybe spent around half that over her lifetime.

I've had 4 cats, always in pairs, and it's always been pretty much the same.

Of course if your cat gets out there are risks of cars and other outdoor dangers, surgeries etc. Also you have to be able to afford a larger bill when it happens.
 
Thankfully the only issue so far was he managed to swallow a metal bolt when about 6 months old. Was all scheduled for op to remove it when vet did one final x ray to confirm and found he must have just managed to pass it! Vet bill was still close to £1000 as they had done all the pre-op work!

But nothing else. Had an infected cut once (from a fight with another cat - apparently the neighbourhood bully) but as vet bill was just over the excess didn't bother to claim.

Will phone current insurer and point out can get same level of cover for half the price and see what they say.
 
My cats are housecats, so the circumstances are not the same as all.

I've never insured them as the monthly costs over their lifetime vs what treatments they've required and the insurance would pay for just don't stack up.
They've never been neglected of veterinary care. I've just spent £1100 on one of mine who's getting towards the end of life at 18 years old but that's the first major bill I've ever had for her. Other than annual checkups and vaccine boosters, which wouldn't be covered by insurance, I've maybe spent around half that over her lifetime.

I've had 4 cats, always in pairs, and it's always been pretty much the same.

Of course if your cat gets out there are risks of cars and other outdoor dangers, surgeries etc. Also you have to be able to afford a larger bill when it happens.
I just worked out my mum spent over 3K on cat insurance over the 15 years she's had her cat, never once had to make a single claim. I'm wondering if it's just more cost effective to just put the money aside until you need to pay a vet bill.
 
I just worked out my mum spent over 3K on cat insurance over the 15 years she's had her cat, never once had to make a single claim. I'm wondering if it's just more cost effective to just put the money aside until you need to pay a vet bill.
Have a word with your vet. I know that our old vet, I say old because we no longer have a dog, had a scheme running that let monthly payments accrue. You could use the money as you liked for any vet service. We stopped paying insurance for our Cocker when she turned nine years as the monthly payments went astronomical when taking into account the fixed excess and then 20% of the remaining bill.
 

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