Anyone know about pet insurance?

[BigDiamonds]

I am seriously considering purchasing a ragdoll kitten, and the price is WAY more than I have ever spent on a small pet. Is there accidental death insurance available for pets? For example, if the cat got out and something happened, is there insurance to pay for another kitten? I see SO many lost cat posters in my neighborhood, and I know we have coyotes, so I guess I''m hyper-aware.

I know that pet health insurance is relatively common, and I will certainly purchase that as well. I suppose a $10k vet bill is a bigger concern than forking out another $800 for a kitten, but it''s still a fair amount of money to me.

Can anyone suggest an insurance company that provides this kind of coverage?

 

[NewEnglandLady]

We looked into pet insurance for our dog when we brought him home from the breeder a few years ago. We looked at three different insurers (the only three we could find at the time) and did a cost analysis.

To be honest, I don''t think that the health insurance covers the cost of replacing the kitty. I''m not sure if you''d have to take out a separate life insurance type of plan for that? This is the issue--most pet insurance companies do not cover congenital conditions. For instance, I have a newfoundland and the breed is prone to hip displaysia so two of the three insurance companies would not cover any medical bills that were a result of hip dysplaysia. If the ragdoll kitten is prone to, say, a heart condition and it proved fatal, most insurance companies wouldn''t cover it.

I''m not sure how catteries work, but I''m assuming there is some sort of contract in place guaranteeing the health of the kitty. If something were to happen to your cat that was a result of some sort of congenital illness, I''m assuming the breeder would offer you the choice of a new kitten. I know it''s macabre to discuss, but it is good to know all of your options.

Instead of going the insurance route, we just put money aside for any of our dog''s medical bills. In the end, we are very glad we went this route because (so far) it has saved us a great deal of money.

 

[BigDiamonds]

I know, it seems so awful to be talking about it.

I think I have a different perspective because I used to own show horses, and we had them insured for everything. It doesn''t seem morbid to me, it just seems smart to consider. Someone just told me a story about their cat''s $15k cancer surgery that prolonged his life by 6 months, and that reinforced to me that I should look into it.

Anyway, I think you''re right- what I''m really looking for is life insurance, not health insurance. Maybe that will help my search...

 

[E B]

We have two health insurance policies for our dog. Ask me how many I have!

One policy is through Banfield, the veterinary clinics you find inside PetSmart stores. It has been incredibly wonderful, especially through her puppy stage. It includes free visits, her spay, one teeth cleaning a year, and one blood test a year. When Sally was a puppy, she had a few mystery illnesses and it would have cost us quite a bit to take her to the vet again and again. The costs for the 'visits' alone would have been a lot. We have to pay out of pocket for things like x-rays and medications, but I believe we get a discount.

The other policy is for the big stuff: accidents, illnesses (cancer), etc. We haven't had to use this one yet, but if anything big happens to her, we're 100% covered.

I just checked the insurance company we have policy #2 through, and it looks like if you purchase the Gold plan for your cat (which is what we have for our dog), the policy includes an 'accidental death' benefit of $500. If you're interested, give them a call and ask about deductibles:

PetCare Insurance

 

[BigDiamonds]

EBree, that is fantastically helpful! Thank you!

 

[sumbride]

We went the "put money aside" route too. I think dogs benefit the most from insurance because cats tend to have less accidents, don''t usually swallow foreign objects, and if you keep them indoors, don''t run as many risks as dogs do. That said, cats can have illnesses, conditions, cancer, etc... but insurance rarely covers 100% and is often not cost effective. So do a careful analysis.

As far as "replacement value" I don''t think I''ve heard of anything available for that, but a cat is not like a horse... horses can be in trailor accidents, can be stolen, etc... and they cost a lot more than a cat. I could see insuring a horse, but not a cat. There might be something out there, but honestly, this again sounds like something that you would be better off just sticking some cash in an interest-bearing account "in case" instead of paying premiums.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

DH use the "put money away for the vet" route too. We briefly looked into insurance for our pugs but decided against it. It something happens to them then we will deal with it. Our cats also don''t have any insurance - but I think they are at much less risk than the dogs. My mom and sister have horses so I''ll have to ask them it they have insurance for them.

Jess