Also I have two brothers - do I need to insure both of them - or could I only insure the second cat if I need to claim for the first cat - the theory being whichever cat needs treatment first gets to use the policy - can anyone see any flaws in this plan?
Lorna x
A policy is for a specific named cat so you couldn't use it for the other one if he needed treatment.
Although it seems like a good deal (financially) I would say it's important to look at the policy details and the reputation of the company. It isn't always easy to shop around when a policy is up for renewal as if you have claimed, that condition will be excluded by any other insurer. So it's best to go for an insurer you would be happy to stop with for the duration of the cat's life. If when the policy is up for renewal and you haven't put in a claim (or your cat hasn't had any illness - remember that even if you haven't claimed any record with your vet of a particular problem will make it an excluded condition) then you can shop around and change insurers if you wish, but I wouldnt rely on being able to do that.
I would always go for amount per year rather than condition. Make sure it is lifetime cover too (so that they don't stop covering a particular condition that your cat may develop and they don't stop covering them at a certain age) and think carefully about the amount you may need - vet treatment can very easily run into thousands and whilst it's tempting to think that it's unlikely a young cat would need several thousand pounds worth of treatment, it may be easier to pay a little more each month to cover the eventuality.
What was the company that recently stopped selling pet insurance leaving a lot of people in the lurch? I think it's best to stick to companies that have been in the market for a long time and have a good reputation. I believe Axa and petplan to be amongst the best. Incidentally, in response to cazzer - when I was with petplan I put in 2 claims and both were dealt with very quickly.
In short, try to think long term rather than short term and don't be lured into taking out a policy by introductory offers even though they are tempting.