Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Leanne on January 24, 2007, 16:47:18 PM
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When rehomed Jess we got 6 weeks free insurance with Pet Plan this runs our mid feb and we are starting to get quotes, but its a minefield and we don't know who to go with or where to start! Any ideas??
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If you continue with petplan make sure the policy covers more than £1000 /year. A RTA could use this up quickly!
I have 4 with M&S, they cover upto 7k a year and although i havent had to claim yet i hear they are good. For a few pounds extra per year you can have no excess.
The main thing is to make sure the policy isnt per condition, lifelong cover is best.
HTH
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I'm with Direct Line. Granted that Lexy was pretty healthy with no pre-existing conditions and got that for £8.50 a month with a £55 excess per year.
Lexy had an injury to her back knees and had to have surgery, after care, all the tests etc, cost nearly £3000 in total in 2 months, and I only paid out the £55. All the vet fees etc were covered. I have lifelong cover for her for this and I get up to £6000 per year per condition.
As Jess has a pre-existing condition you may find they won't cover him for this, I am not sure there are any that do cover any condition pre-existing or not.
Also the £8.50 is for the advanced cover which includes loads of extras in case I'm in an accident and can't care for her etc and other vet fees as well.
M&S I heard are very good too, as Milly's Mum said.
I have found though that Direct Line don't ask many questions and they pay up fairly quickly if you have to outlay any cash up front like vet fees.
This web site is good: http://www.aboutyourmoney.co.uk/pet-insurance/cat-insurance.htm
it also gives you an indication what the maximum age of the cat should be that they will cover. As you can see Direct Line is first but if you cat is older they won't cover. There are some with no age limit.
Read the conditions really well and understand what exactly is covered before you signup.
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I'm with petplan (cat policy - up to £6000 per year) and have made 2 claims in recent years - got paid both times no problem and fairly quickly (1 was for approx £1500 and the other was £300 for a dental). M&S seems to be popular on here.
I'd say the important things to look for are
Cover for life
Max payout per year rather than per condition
Scrutinise the small print to see what - if anything - is excluded
Excess
Bear in mind that premiums vary depending on your cat (breed, age etc) and where you live so try not to compare quotes you get with what other people are paying. Get a few quotes for your cat and compare them to each other paying attention to exclusions to make sure you're comparing like with like.
One other thing to bear in mind is that low premiums are all well and good but they normally increase as the cat gets older and if your cat has had any medical conditions in the meantime you can't always move to another insurer if you're not happy with the increase (at least not without that condition being excluded). A bargain is great but be wary of anything that looks too good to be true - it may turn around and bite you on the bum in the future!!
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Susanne is right though, each policy quote you will get is totally dependent on your cat's history. What the rest of us pay may not be any kind of indication of what you may have to pay.
I know that I will need to stick to direct line until Lexy completely heals which will take a few more months, but even then, as she has slightly bowed back legs she will be prone to dislocating her knees so I will never get cover with another insurer for this.
Worth getting about 4 or 5 quotes to see what is really the best offer for your cat that you can afford comfortably.
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I have 4 with M&S no excess. Havent made a claim yet and they are aged 5, 9 and 13 and the 13yr olds are also pedigrees.
Previously was with sainsburys with excess, and only changed to M&S cos I got a better deal. Sainsburys always paid out no problem.
My only warning is to read all the small print and if you are not sure about anything ask them to clarify in writing.
Remember there is a 14 day bedding in period with most insurances when you cannot claim, so get insurance asap. ;D
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Thanks everyone :thanks:
From the research I've done so far Direct Line and M&S were the 2 I've been torn between, Jess is an indoor kitten so won't be going out, and the one thing I wanted was insurance that doesn't have a limit on how much they will pay out per condition or year, I don't mind if the excess is a bit more to cover this.
I work for a dog charity and see so many people without insurance and then something happens and they get all flustered its so important to be covered!
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I work for a dog charity and see so many people without insurance and then something happens and they get all flustered its so important to be covered!
None of mine are insured as I am fortunately in a position not to have to worry, although I appreciate circumstances can change at any time. Then again I did win £10 on the lottery last night so that will keep us going for a while. However, I never tell people who adopt cats from us that I haven't. as I would hate for them to think because I don't they needn't. I so wish people would insure, every day I get people asking for help with the vet bills, although in all honesty some would not be able to pay the £50 or so excess and the cost upfront before claiming from the insurance company. It is so sad. I must say that our Cats Protection branch would never see a cat PTS because someone could not pay for their pets treatment (while I am Co-ordinator anyway). Also every stray is given the same chance as an owned cat.
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We never bothered insuring ours, just paid for the bills ourselves, maybe we should think about it
Although if we were going to insure them we'd use Direct Line or Petplan, have heard they're really good.
Ela how come you don't insure yours?
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Ela how come you don't insure yours?
Just don't, I am just lucky enough to be in a position where I don't need too
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You get it for free with the CP for being a co-ordinator?
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You get it for free with the CP for being a co-ordinator?
You must be joking :ROFL: good thought though.
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oh ;D Just thought that was what you meant by you don't need to in your position, thought those who worked for CP had to get some perks :rofl:
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thought those who worked for CP had to get some perks
We are just unpaid slaves oops I mean volunteers. however, the fact that we can help so many little ones is far more important than disbursement
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We never bothered insuring ours, just paid for the bills ourselves, maybe we should think about it
You should definitely think about it. Vet bills can easily run into thousands. I had to pay nearly £2000 for one of my cats just over a year ago - that was for 5 hours at the vets! He didn't make it but without insurance I'd have had to ask them to put him to sleep immediately as I don't think I could have raised that kind of money in a hurry.
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You should definitely think about it. Vet bills can easily run into thousands
Thanks for your concern but really you don't have to worry, cost is not an issue. if any of my pets can be saved they will be, sadly no amout of money can save my Badger, however if I was told tomorror that for £10000 or even more he could be saved he would be there first thing.
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Susanne was quoting Beth!
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Can anyone tell me if their insurance plans include dental? I'm with Tescos (had no problem with other insurances we have with them, including when we had to claim) but they have removed dental cover from their policy so I need to change. I was thinking about M&S so if anyone knows about this one in particular, that would be helpful. ;)
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Yes M& S includes it as long as its for a medical reason
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Susanne was quoting Beth!
That's right! ;D
Petplan cover dental. I made a successful claim for Jaffa's dental last spring.