Cat Health Insurance – Do You Have It for Your Ragdoll Cat?
Originally posted July 12, 2012 – rerunning this post to get more responses.
Last month, Ingrid of The Conscious Cat posted about pet insurance. She had read an article recently on the CatChannel.com about Cat Insurance Options. They are initial quotes based on a 7-year-old domestic shorthair cat.
My cats’ vet isn’t crazy about cat health insurance – they claim that there just isn’t a good one out yet. They suggest, rather than putting your money towards a premium every month, the better thing to do would be to take that money and establsih a separate savings account and put that amount into that savings account every month. That way if something goes wrong wit your kitty, you have, but if something doesn’t, then you still have it.
I would love to learn more about cat health insurance – if it’s worth it or not.
What do you do for your cat’s long term health care savings? Do you have pet health insurance?
If you do…could you please comment on this post and tell us:
- What company is your insurance with?
- How long have you had it?
- Have you needed to use it? How did that go?
- Do you like the company you’re with?
Would love to know any savings tips you have too!
Thanks for your tips, suggestions and help in advance.
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
When I got my two kittens, I immediately bought insurance for them. At two Chauncey came down with gingivitis and after paying the premiums for two years I was told that this insurance didn’t cover gingivitis, much to my dismay. I immediately cancelled the insurance and opened an investment account and I put about $25/week into it and now I don’t feel like I’m throwing away my money. That was two years ago and I’ve had to use it only once and that was to have his teeth cleaned. Much better than wasting my money on insurance that was unhelpful when I most needed it.
I am so sorry to hear they didn’t cover the gingivitis. Which company was it? The investment account is a great idea! My cats and my parents’ cats (who are now passed) definitely benefited from their insurance as they aged. So I will keep mine for now, as it has been super helpful for me. I can respect your decision, of course – we have to do what works for us.
I have pet insurance for my almost 8 month old ragdoll kitten. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted it at first but she developed an upper respiratory infection and it has definitely helped with the costs. I got insurance through the ASPCA and overall it’s pretty alright. I like that you can change your reimbursement percentage and deductible amount. I find they take a while to process claims sometimes.
That’s awesome that you did it, I know my sister certainly benefited from having it when her cat had emergency living saving surgery.
Looking into it now, but I seriously wish I got pet insurance earlier. My cat Satine has a liver infection, and so far I’ve spent over $1000, due at time of service, all in the span of 2 weeks! Thank god they didn’t find cancerous cells after the ultrasound, because (aside from the emotionally devastating part of it) cancer treatments are in the THOUSANDS of dollars.
I’m pretty broke at the moment, just with the vet expenses. So much of that would have been covered if I’d had insurance.
so sorry – i just got cat health insurance too.
We have the same as plmcat, CareCredit. We had to use it when Cosmo (our grey tabby) was diagnosed with periodontal disease & had to have surgery. It was quite expensive and we will have it paid off in October. But, the next day when we brought him home, he was like a “New Kitty”. He had been in so much pain for so long. The vet we had didn’t let us know (maybe he didn’t know?) so when we changed vets they told us about it. Even though it was pricey, it was well worth it. Just wish we would have known sooner so he would’nt have had to suffer for so long. The poor baby.
i do’t have pet insurance per say, i have something called “carecredit”. i can use it for my cats and for me. if you work with the vet they can give you up to 18 months to pay with no interest. i got it when i had an emergency with one of my cats last year. it saved me because i didn’t have any money for a 600 dollar vet bill. that i can use it for my one medical needs is nice too. it’s not great but it works and if you don’t go over that 18 months then you have no worries.
Great and interesting topic. No, we don’t have pet insurance and never have. Keep enough saved so far if anything unexpected happens. Irunning said she paid $600 for a dental cleaning and extraction! Man, that is way way more than any vet in my area would ever charge. My fera, Punkie, is a senior citizen and had a vet visit, dental cleaning and extraction all for under $200. Guess if I lived in an area where it would be $600 for those items, would maybe consider it. In the 40 years and almost 20 pets, never have incurred very much expense. The highest was when my Aussie who was 14, got Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever from a tick bite (while wearing a flea and tick collar). She stayed in the hospital for a week with IVF’s, antibiotics, etc. and her total was right at $2,000. Paid with my CC and it was fine. Like Patti said, I don’t allow my cats to go outside either, so it cuts down on the likelihood of them being injured.
I’ve covered my last few cats with VPI and have been happy with the coverage. The younger your kitty is when you buy the coverage the cheaper the premium! Emily just had a dental cleaning with an extraction and VPI paid me $500 of the $600 I paid the vet. So, that recouped more than a year’s premium. I pay $300 a year for Emily’s policy and she’s about 6. Hunter’s policy, since he’s less than a year old is $150 a year. He probably won’t need anything for a few years, but, if I keep it up, I’m sure it will be worth it.
Like all insurance- I hate paying the premiums, but appreciate it when I need it!
Great re-post and such a very interesting topic, too, Jenny! We’ve had pet insurance on pets before (many, many years ago when we lived in Maryland and had multiple cats and dogs). Now that we are retired we don’t have any pet insurance for our lovely Miss Pink Sugarbelle. We figure the risks are low from any external type of illnesses from exposure to things outside like toxins, getting injured, attacks from other animals, etc… However, that said it makes me nervous that we don’t have any insurance on her. But, from what I remember about the insurance we used to have back in Maryland, the price really isn’t worth the coverage provided as there were still out of pocket costs for every vet visit.
I do like the idea of a savings account and I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t even thought of doing that. I’m going to start one for her immediately after I get back from my son’s wedding in December (right now all my extra money is going into my savings account for that trip and related expenses).
Big hugs!
Patti & Miss Pink Sugarbelle 🙂 <3
Hi, even though I do not have a Ragdoll kitty, my Timmie is a Maine Coon, I enjoy your blog and follow it for all the great information you provide…I’ve acquired several wonderful kitty products through your testing and recommendation…they work equally well for the large Maine Coon as for a Ragdoll! The latest being the Shed Ninja…I’ve got mine ordered…since Maine Coons do have the dense under coat, this is the perfect every day grooming tool!
Anyway, I’d thought I’d chime in on the pet insurance discussion, I’ve had Embrace Pet Insurance for Timmie since I brought her home from the Breeder as a kitten, she is now two years old. That company breaks their plans into two different types of plans, Wellness and Accident/Illness. Fortunately I’ve only needed to use the Wellness for Timmie, which still can be a pricey cost, but was completely covered. It was also most convenient that the Vet’s office sent the invoice directly to Embrace so that I didn’t need to pay and seek reimbursement after the fact.
What company is your insurance with?
Christy’s Fingers-Crossed Indemnification of Hope Company
How long have you had it?
I feel like you’re asking me my age and I won’t answer that but I will say that I’ve been crossing my fingers since I was a toddler.
Have you needed to use it? How did that go?
Yes. Typically fine.
Do you like the company you’re with?
Yes, the lady running it is brilliant (!!!!).
I have never heard good stuff about pet insurance. In addition, I was raised by a father who was raised during the depression. We learned the tried, true and complete tenets of emergency and standard healthcare which includes the foolproof assessments that begin and end with “wiggle your fingers, wiggle your toes”. If said injured person can do both, all is good and you may commence playing.
As such I’m not big on seeking medical attention unless there’s a clear cut trauma. Refer back to wiggling of fingers and toes!
ha ha ha – i needed that today.
Jenny- checked ou the graph with all the plans listed, Healthy Paws would pay the best for a castrophic problem- like surgery or cancer care. So sticking with Helathy Paws. They are very pleasant to work with.
Tessa has Healthy Paws and it does NOT cover the Vet exam ever. Anything else after the deductible it does. Am thinking of changing the insurance as you always have the Vet exam charge. Hope there is more discussion on this important issue.
Weird – wonder if they cover it under a different plan?
I, too will follow this thread…! We have a deposit on a ragdoll kitten ready for pickup 8/10 (my first!) and we are contemplating getting insurance for her. My mom is a receptionist at a vet’s office, and brought us brochures, but it’s all very confusing – I’d rather hear testimonials from happy users!
Like Coinneach and you, Jenny, I set savings aside for kitty emergencies. I am “insurance poor” already but there are some kinds I don’t have. I’ve looked into pet insurance without buying it but will follow this post and keep investigating. Thank you for posting this really important, thought-provoking topic 🙂
I don’t have it; as mentioned in the article, I simply move a budgeted chunk into savings every payday. An unmentioned bonus is that I accrue interest on it, which you don’t get with insurance.
Yes, that’s true. I have mine in a Money Market, but still wonder if it would be enough if something were to happen.
I purchased Healthy Paws Pet Insurance about one year ago. Since then my gorgeous Mocha had 2 strokes and was recently diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease. I can not be more happy to have this insurance for her. Diagnostic exam, hospitalization, Rx medication and surgeries are covered! They are pretty good processing claims, as soon as I submitted mines I received a reply the very same day, and I will have a check 3 days later.
A friend of mine uses Healthy Paws Pet Insurance and loves it. I am glad you like it – that’s nice to hear! I am sorry though about Mocha!!
Thank you Jenny!! Mocha is tiny but amazingly strong =) she bounced back from the strokes and we discovered her kidney disease early enough so she is still a playful happy cat. The veterinary cost is too expensive, having my cat sick has been emotionally draining and it helps not to have to worry about money issues. I can get the best veterinary care I can possibly offer to her, I doubt this would be possible even using all my savings.
We have the OptimumPlan from Banfield for all four of our kids and it’s great. We have had then all covered since they were kittens and I had all my previous cats on their plan too. The only downside is that Banfield does not have overnight care for critical care. When we had to take all four cats in for lily poisoning, we had to take them to an emergency care vet and pay for all their care ourselves. Having said that, their aftercare checkup and blood tests were at Banfield and they were all free. For preventative care, I like the plan. It covers a dental for each cat, all vaccines and office visits. When Artemis was having constipation issues, he was at the vet quite a bit. Most everything he had done was either free or discounted. On the invoices they print, they show what you have to pay at this visit, what you would have paid without the plan, and how much you have saved since starting the plan. We have saved at least $4000 so far. Granted, we spent more than that on the ER visit, but that’s a freak incident and we have a credit card for those situations.
The Banfields are further away for me and I want to choose my vet, so that’s what makes me unattracted to Banfield. Good to know you like them though!