preparing for a new kitten/Pet insurance.

[bagheera86]

It's been a hard decision and I thought, Miss Fluffy Butt (Real name changed to protect her identity! ) was the only kitty ever for me. On June 2 2010 she passed away at 20 years of age. Here's a pic for your pleasure.

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but I've been squirreling money away lately, and I've been thinking about... Getting another cat! I feel horrible for this and I feel like I'm replacing her, but at the same time I find it hard to live without someone who'll love me unconditionally (plus I love having a pet to train/spoil/brag about), even if I do spray her in the face with water when she's naughty.

So my question is- Pet insurance? Do any of you have it? What are your experiences with it and what should I look for in a policy? And if you happen to be aussie- which cover is best?

Thanks guys! Another weird unponylike question here.

[sparkleset80]

What a beautiful cat you had, bagheera86! I personally do not have insurance for my cat's but I do work at a vet (I'm in the US) and the insurance that people have for their pets seem to be very happy that they have it.

[bagheera86]

What a beautiful cat you had, bagheera86! I personally do not have insurance for my cat's but I do work at a vet (I'm in the US) and the insurance that people have for their pets seem to be very happy that they have it.

Do you find it covers the most important things, since you work at a vet? And thanks, she was the kitty of my life <3, we had her cremated.

[kaoskat]

We don't have pet insurance. We just save for when they are sick or make payment plans at the vet's. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting a new pet. Love doesn't get taken from one pet just because you have another. The more love you share the more love you have after all.

[Eviecorn]

Your cat would want you to show the same kind of love and care you showed her to another kitty who needs a home. 

As for insurance, I don't use it, personally.  The only people I know who do have purebred animals that were an investment; I adopt all my companions, so I just put some money back in case of emergencies, as Kat said.  That's not to say they are less important - it's meant to say that non-purebred animals generally have less health problems. 

But if you're really interested in it, just do the research and find something right for you.  I don't know much about it.

[Vintergatan]

On June 2 2010 she passed away at 20 years of age. Here's a pic for your pleasure.

:jawdrop:
you are officially the luckiest human being ever! I can only pray that any of my kitties live that long! And what a beauty as well

And I know, getting a new pet after a beloved one has passed is a terribly hard decision, but it is the right one after enough time has passed so I wholeheartedly support your decision

As for insurance, I was looking into that as we have 4 cats (at the moment, we seem to be getting one per year, so, yeah ) and they are all about the same age, so my line of thinking is, they will probably all start having issues at around the same time and vets here in Iceland are really costly.

But I was disappointed by what I saw :S here at least it varies on the insurance company, but most of them will only insure a cat up to 7-9 years of age, which for a cat is usually nothing as they are normally quite vital exactly till that age. They also didn't offer any discounts for insuring many pets at a time so in the end we didn't get any, although I'm still keeping my eyes open for a good deal.

I do suggest checking out some insurance companies online just to get an idea on how things are there and see if it would make sense, or if it would be better to just put aside a small amount of money per month for future vet bills ^^

[tulagirl]

Yes I have pet insurance but not for my cat...for my dog and here is why.  When my late pug got sick it cost me over 3000.00 in two days and we were not even finished at that point.  It put us in horrible debt.  I decided that when I got my next dog, I would purchase insurance strictly for emergencies.  I have been glad I had it.  Shortly after I got my new puppy he had an accident trying to make it down a step (mind you it was only two inches high but to him it was a mountain..now he has a ramp there)..he is tiny.  Dislocated his leg.  That was a 250.00 investment in xrays to find out he was okay and he has been fine ever since.  Then two years ago he injured his back in some unknown way.  1000.00 in xrays, medications and vet visits I was glad that most of it as covered. I don't use my pet insurance for shots or tests that are typical things you do for a pet. I only use it for emergencies because there is a cap on all policies that they will pay in a pets lifetime.  For me it just helps me to know that I won't be in horrible debt trying to treat my dog, if he needs surgery...that sort of thing.  Times are hard for us with me on disability and its hard to save a lot of money towards vet bills and they seem to kill us every time.

Oh and one more thing....cats can get terrible diseases before age two actually.  My persian was showing signs of a terrible illness at 6 months.  We took him to the vet and by the time he was 2 we knew he had IBD.  He has cost us a lot of money also.  I have no insurance on him because he got sick before I had a chance to purchase it and it would have been preexisting conditions issues..so we have no insurance on him.  You just never know what your new animal might have.  Most are healthy.  I know lots of people that found out their cats were quite ill with a long term chronic illness by the age of 2.

[HorsingAround]

I would recommend getting insurance but make sure you do your homework to ensure getting the best plan.  Prior to getting insurance for my cats one of them fell very ill and I spent over $3,200 in vet bills in ONE week!!!!       After that ordeal I decided that spending $20 a month for the insurance is the way to go.  This is one of those situations that you almost have to learn the hard way because prior to Azuki getting sick I thought the insurance was a total waste of money.  Two of our other cats have medical conditions (diabetes and a thyroid condition) between the insulin and medication we spend about $160 a month on them.  Again, had we gotten the insurance when they were young we would be saving ourselves a lot of money now.  I can't stress the importance of looking around to find the best plan though as they really do vary in terms of coverage and cost.  Best of luck with the new kitten!!!   

[Vintergatan]

Oh and one more thing....cats can get terrible diseases before age two actually.  My persian was showing signs of a terrible illness at 6 months.  We took him to the vet and by the time he was 2 we knew he had IBD.  He has cost us a lot of money also.  I have no insurance on him because he got sick before I had a chance to purchase it and it would have been preexisting conditions issues..so we have no insurance on him.  You just never know what your new animal might have.  Most are healthy.  I know lots of people that found out their cats were quite ill with a long term chronic illness by the age of 2.

Goodness, I guess I was really lucky then with all my cats, though they were all just strays and such. Right now I have cats ranging from 1,5 - 5 years of age and they all seem healthy, so no chronic conditions, to knock on wood. But yes, both you and HorsingAround are absolutely right, it is something that is important to get while cats are young and healthy.

[Eskara1862]

Oh and one more thing....cats can get terrible diseases before age two actually.  My persian was showing signs of a terrible illness at 6 months.  We took him to the vet and by the time he was 2 we knew he had IBD.  He has cost us a lot of money also.  I have no insurance on him because he got sick before I had a chance to purchase it and it would have been preexisting conditions issues..so we have no insurance on him.  You just never know what your new animal might have.  Most are healthy.  I know lots of people that found out their cats were quite ill with a long term chronic illness by the age of 2.

Eep!  Hope your Persian has her issues under control.  My Misty girl (snowshoe siamese) was diagnosed with IBD too.  The bloody, smelly litter box is no fun to deal with at all   Switching her to a raw diet has completely cleared her up, though. No issues in the year she's had raw!  $30 a month in food is way cheaper than $90 every other month in vet bills.

Also, who's your insurance through?  I use Trupanion and there's no cap on what they'll spend during your pets life. There is a $500 deductible per condition, but once that deductible is met they'll pay 90% of the bill for the rest of the pets life.  I spend about $16 a month for it.

bagheera86, get insurance! It is so totally worth it. When my dachshund hurt her back, we were lucky enough to be at my uncle house; he happens to be a vet. The overnight stay, medicine, x-rays, and everything was only $180.  If we hadn't been visiting him when it happened, we'd have had a bill in the thousands.  Like others have suggested, shop around for the best policies.  I have insurance on Misty because she's a vacuum; she'll eat anything and everything, string being one of her favorite meals. Considering that a surgery to remove a blockage from the instestines can be over $2,000, it's well worth the $16 a month!

Be sure to post pictures of the new family member if you do decide to get one!  It's always hard loosing a pet and a new one doesn't mean you are dishonoring the old one.  You're just cherishing the memory of an old friend and sharing your life with a new one.