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Pet Insurance Recommendation For A Cat


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#1 Pony

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 07:28 AM

Hi everyone,
I own a cat and recently was starting to get an insurance for it, since the cat get older and I am sure sooner or later we will need it.
Can you please recommend, based on your experience, what insurance company you are using and whether or not you recommend it?
Maybe a note, that preferably to have a feedback on actual claims experience, rather than saying that insurance plan is cheap and you never used it.
I’ve looked on the internet and came across this site with a rating, would you agree with it?
http://www.petinsura...iew.com/cat.asp
Appreciate it,
Pony

#2 MrsTuffPaws

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 10:16 AM

I've always heard that you're usually better off putting $10-$20 a month under your mattress than paying for pet insurance (at least on the US). So often the insurance won't cover what you need it too, and you sometimes have to keep paying each month, even after your pet has died! Ideally, you would have started your 'pet fund' when you first got your pet, but better late than never.

Care Credit is a special line of credit that many vets will take when those thousand dollar+ emergencies pop up. It has a favorable reputation on many pet forums.

#3 Pony

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 02:09 PM

Care Credit is a special line of credit that many vets will take when those thousand dollar+ emergencies pop up. It has a favorable reputation on many pet forums.


Thank you MrsTuffPaws, I must be missing what is good in the Care Credit from reading it?
Do I enjoy from agreed with provider low cost if it comes to cat surgery for example?

Still, does anyone have any recommendation for an insurance plan?

#4 aztransplant

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 02:43 PM

Still, does anyone have any recommendation for an insurance plan?


I'm with Mrs. Tuff Paws on this. We save the money ourselves so that we have it if needed, rather than paying it to an insurance company that may or may not cover what is needed when the time comes. Same goes for our own health insurance (we use a HSA (health savings account) and sock away the max each year just in case.

Anyway, sorry I'm unable to help in this regard. Personally, I don't know anyone with pet insurance.

#5 Pony

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 02:57 PM

I'm with Mrs. Tuff Paws on this. We save the money ourselves so that we have it if needed, rather than paying it to an insurance company that may or may not cover what is needed when the time comes. Same goes for our own health insurance (we use a HSA (health savings account) and sock away the max each year just in case.

Anyway, sorry I'm unable to help in this regard. Personally, I don't know anyone with pet insurance.


Thanks for the feedback,
I saw a little drop of red substance another day( maybe a blood in urine??? not sure) in the cat litter box, so we might need some expensive checks this year. So I was thinking the best is to go with insurance, since it can come to an expensive procedures....
The cat behaves normally and there is no any problems, but I feel we need to do the checks now.

#6 (MaxineR)

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 03:54 PM

Never had pet insurance.

The pet industry is beginning to rival that of human medical care, when it comes to costs.

And yes, they have a payment plan you can use to pay for those eight thousand dollar surgeries. Think that's an extreme example? Think again. When we love our companions we will pay almost anything to keep them with us.

I think the average pet owner will pay out almost as much for their pet, as they might a child, with dental care, vaccinations, toys ,food, medical care and baths. And then there are those things they couldn't do before, like MRI scans...your Vet will give you a referral to another high end pet hospital for those. Not cheap...I can tell you. Been there, done that.

Sometimes, the kindest thing a pet owner can do is end their pet's suffering, but that won't happen when a Vet tells you there might be a way to keep your beloved companion. If it's true or not, you may never know. I've heard of too many who spend thousands of dollars, only to lose their pet weeks later. What suffering the animal goes through they can't tell you.

The common thing Vets say now is, "we'll have to do some testing before we know what's wrong." I have a feeling they know more than they'd like to say, but want to run up a bill that makes their income almost as much as a doctor's.

Although it's nice to have the option of new advances in medical care for animals, you may find they won't go forward with anything else, until they do testing. Which too often places a pet owner between a rock and a soft place....like your heart.

I think that is why so many animals end up at the pound. People just can't take from their kids, to pay for pet care. And too often, that is what it comes down to. The parents just tell the kids their pet ran away...really.

The fact is, a pet won't live as long as you will. I know of an older lady who has had five dogs die in her lifetime. She has a running tab with a Vet hospital in Rancho Cordova. It's like a charge card with interest.

Am I bitter, you bet! I suffered too much watching my pet suffer, to ever have another. I also have kids that sometimes need help, and would like to leave them a little something after I die, besides unpaid vet bills.

#7 mando

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 08:42 PM

Thanks for the feedback,


I would avoid documenting a potential pre-existing condition online :)

#8 MrsTuffPaws

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Posted 17 January 2012 - 11:19 PM

Thank you MrsTuffPaws, I must be missing what is good in the Care Credit from reading it?
Do I enjoy from agreed with provider low cost if it comes to cat surgery for example?

I think the good of Care Credit is a low interest line of credit that can be used for veterinary purposes. It's probably going to be cheaper than putting it on your regular Visa card with xx% interest.

#9 Pony

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Posted 18 January 2012 - 07:31 AM

I would avoid documenting a potential pre-existing condition online :)


We've founded out it was a painting that the kid left opened, the cat picked up some on it's paw :banjo:
Anyway, I am kepp researching the insurance for the future, it made me think to this direction.

#10 alphak9

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 06:32 PM

i use VPI insurance for my dog. She competes in competitions and if she breaks anything i dont have the money to fix it. So we pay 24 a month for 80% reimbursement .

#11 MrsTuffPaws

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 06:45 PM

i use VPI insurance for my dog. She competes in competitions and if she breaks anything i dont have the money to fix it. So we pay 24 a month for 80% reimbursement .

I hate responding to old threads, but since it got dredged up anyway...

It's the reimbursement that's the problem with VPI. You need to have the money up front to pay for whatever the dog needs, and then insurance will pay you back... later. So you still need the money to fix your dog if anything goes wrong, you just get 80% of it back at a later date. That's not easy for many pet owners.

#12 alphak9

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 07:31 PM

Sorry i just found this site and was like Hey i use insurance.
I know that i dont qualify for care credit and that pet insurance is only a reimbursement but to me thats better than not having it. i could use the company that takes a 150 deductable per incident and pays back 100% but no. i am happy with 80% back and a 150 deductible per year.
having a working dog that daily does jumps, is out in the field doing protection work, a accident is bound to happen.
so i do spend a little every month to feel better.
thats all.

But if i had a cat..no
or a average dog..no

#13 supermom

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Posted 28 July 2012 - 08:35 PM

I have heard of people using pet insurance. I have not. One common warning I have heard is check what the insurance will reimburse in medical prescriptions or out patient vs inpatient procedures/ blood transfusions and things like exploratory biopsies for tumors/ suspected cancers. Also, diabetes is becoming a big thing. Check to see if your insurance assists in diabetes care and meds.

#14 old soldier

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Posted 29 July 2012 - 10:21 AM

before I spend a lot of money, I would do some research into obama care...that may cover dogs and cats as well




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