Pet insurance: Is it worth it?

[zippy]

Our cat had pancreatitis which after a visit to the vets, ended up as an emergency admission to the university small animal hospital for more indepth tests and treatment. Admittedly I felt the vets at the hospital went a bit OTT ordering ultrasounds , scans and blood analayse every day ( one of which was sent to a lab in America) as well as the usual fluids, analgesia etc but the cat got better after 5 days and eventual was back to his normal self. Cost .... £2k, just as well I had insurance.

[walkerwek1958]

I would say yes, definitely worth having thesedays.

As medical treatment for humans has advanced, the treatments available for animals has advanced too. That's good news if a pet gets ill, there's more chance of successful treatment, but all this comes with a sizeable cost attached. Better to pay the insurance than face the moral dilemma of whether to decline treatment on the grounds of cost and opt for the big needle instead.

The alternative is to take the view that you'll pay whatever it costs if your pet gets sick. That's fine if you don`t mind spending a couple of grand or more.

Paul

[-Ally-]

Our Springer was never insured and survived 13 years without it. He had one overnight at the vets in that time and it cost £250 for that and some meds.

It's the risk you take.

[Sweepinghand]

We've just added a little four-month-old cat to our family. She's from a local Cat Protection charity and has been wormed and had flea treatment, had her first round of vaccinations – with the second round due in a few weeks – and she will be spayed soon as well. This is all included in the adoption fee. She has also been chipped and registered.

So, do I need pet insurance? Is it worth it for a young, healthy (so far) cat? I read that there are several different types of cover: Annual, lifetime, accident only. We intend for her to live a long and happy life with us and would like her covered for all eventualities, but she's only four months old so do we wait until she's got a couple of years under her belt?

What do the other TZ cat owners do?

Had my girl from rspca
Spayed chipped etc from a kitten
Total cost to datecat vets £15.99 last year
Complete waste of money imo

[sestrel]

One of my clients gas a ten yr old lab: he has a busted cruciate ligament. They had insurance when he was younger, but as the dog got older, the bill was over £150 pcm, more than they could afford! Vet wants £4K for the ligament!

[Chris_in_the_UK]

If you take an animal on then in my book you have a 'duty of care' to the animal - how you manage that (insurance, paying if needed) is down to personal circumstances and opinion.

[Kingstepper]

Had my girl from rspca
Spayed chipped etc from a kitten
Total cost to datecat vets £15.99 last year
Complete waste of money imo

It's a cat.