Everything you need to know if you’re thinking about getting pet insurance for your cat

What does cat insurance include?

Many pet insurance policies help to provide thousands of dollars’ worth of cover. Cat insurance can cover your cat for up to 80% of costs at any licensed veterinarian throughout Australia. If you choose to add on routine care to your pet insurance policy, your cat can also be covered for vaccinations, de-sexing, microchipping plus many other day to day health care options.

How much does it cost to insure my cat and what factors impact the premiums?

The cost for cat insurance is dependent on multiple factors such as the age, species, gender, desexed/spayed status, health condition, breed, activity levels and lifestyle of your cat as well as the level of cover you select and the insurer you choose to go with.

Petsy offers covers 3 levels of cover for accidents, illness as well as optional routine care. They also offer a cover option for indoor cars which includes home vet visits for cats that don’t usually leave the house.
In addition to this, each type of policy (e.g. accident only, accident & illness, or comprehensive cover) is a priced differently. This is because each one covers more than the last, with comprehensive being the most expensive, but also the most exhaustive in what you can claim on (including great benefits like subsidised checkups, vaccinations, and more).
Another thing that affects your premium is your excess. If you elect to pay a more expensive excess in the event of a claim, you’ll pay less each month in insurance premiums – and vice versa.
Last of all, each insurer prices their products differently, which means no two policies are likely to cost the same.

Can I insure my cat for life?

Once a cat has been accepted and as long as the policy is continually renewed, the cat will be covered for eligible vet expenses for life. Depending on the insurer, there can be varying age entry limits as well as age upper age limits when signing up to a new policy.

What kind of things aren’t covered with cat insurance?

Like any insurance policy, it doesn’t cover everything which means you should understand what it does and doesn’t cover before you sign up.
An exclusion is a treatment that is explicitly not covered by your pet insurance policy. Below are some of the more common exclusions you may find on a common policy.

• Abuse: All insurers will not pay out claims when there’s evidence of a malicious act or negligence.
• Ambulance costs: Many vets will do callouts and transportation for ill/injured animals. These costs may not be covered by your pet insurance policy, especially if it doesn’t turn out to be an emergency (a non-essential hospital admission).
• Artificial limbs / other prosthetics: While you may find that your insurance covers a procedure to fit a prosthetic, the cost of the limb itself may not be.
• Bilateral conditions: If a pre-existing condition affects a body part to which your pet has two of (e.g. eyes), then an injury or illness affecting the opposite body part is generally not covered by your insurance policy.
• Dental issues: 85% of dogs four years and older suffer gum disease, according to VetWest. Because of this, many of us seek out pet insurance that covers dental treatment. Be careful, though, because many pet insurance policies will not cover some (or any) dental costs; like cleaning, orthodontics, oral disease, etc.
• Diseases with a known vaccine: This exclusion is designed to stop people from neglecting important vaccinations and preventative treatments (e.g. parovirus, canine cough, Hepatitis, deworming tablets). However, you may not be able to claim even if your pet is properly vaccinated and contracts the disease anyway.
• Elective procedures: This can include desexing, regular checkups, etc. If it’s not medically necessary treatment, you may not be able to claim for it. Comprehensive policies may cover routine care, while accident & illness policies exclude such cover.
• Organ transplants: Organ transplants can be particularly risky operations, not to mention organs may not be the easiest to source for certain animals. As such, these procedures may not be covered under your policy.
• Pregnancy/breeding: Treatments that are the result of pregnancy are usually not covered by your pet insurer. There are many reasons for this. For one, animals that aren’t desexed are at greater risk for developing certain healthcare conditions (e.g. urinary tract infections) and can be more aggressive towards other animals, which makes them higher claim risks.

The above doesn’t constitute an exhaustive list and it’s a good idea to refer to your product disclosure statement to learn the finer details of your policy.

Other pet insurance restrictions you may encounter

Your ability to claim on your pet insurance is limited by terms and conditions, or ‘rules’. Some of these rules dictate that you cannot claim instantly once your pet gets covered but there is a Exclusion period that applies before claiming.

• Cruciate ligament conditions are fairly common and expensive to treat. Some pet policies will let you seek treatment after you sit through a Exclusion period when first signing up for insurance (e.g. six months).
• Pre-existing conditions. Any conditions your pet had before you took out the policy will not be covered by your new insurance policy, unless otherwise stated by your insurer.

You are also unable to claim for treatments you’re currently sitting a Exclusion period for. Exclusion periods can range from 30 days to six months.

Don’t wait until it’s too late

While you shop around for different pet insurance cover options, it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of each option however it is important to find an option that insures and protects your pet against as much as possible and as quickly as possible to make sure you’re protected against the unexpected.