Can anyone reccoment a pet insurer?

I've had cats all my adult life (40+ years) and have never bothered with pet insurance. Some policies don't cover the cost of tooth extraction and various things the cat may need.

I've got a credit card which is used ONLY for vet's bills. One cat had to have a tooth out (it wasn't bad, just loose), and it cost over £400.

Just had renewal from Kennel club for our Lakie who is just four years old and no claims or illnesses, horrified to see the policy had gone up by £70.00, usually by about £20.00.
Telephoned K C and just had some young chap wittering on about insurance algorithms, no answers whatsoever.
I know I can get cheaper lifetime insurance but does any one know of one where the price doesn't rocket yearly, I do accept as my dog becomes older I will pay more but not in such a horrendous jump

No they seem to be a waste of money to me, I just have a credit card kept solely for my animals and tbh spend very little over a lifetime. I had my 14 year old staffie pts a little while ago and added up how much he'd cost throughout his lifetime and it was all in the last month of his life which added up to a grand including pts and cremation. Previous animals all went with various illnesses but followed the same pattern. So I'd either save a sum each month or go with the credit card and spread the cost. No insurance pays out the full cost of treatment anyway and as the animal ages collect exemptions that are not covered.

Hetty My little JRT has over £4,500 in her bank account! She's ten years old now and recently had to have a cracked tooth extracted (£420) but otherwise is fit as a fiddle. I'd rather spend my money on really good food.

Presumably you have been saving £450 a year into her account, but if she had needed surgery/scans/treatment when she was only one year old, you would not have had nearly enough in her account.

My vet said it's heartbreaking when he knows he could save a pet but that the owner can't afford to pay for the surgery and treatment, and therefore the much-loved pet has to be PTS. All insurance is a gamble. We insure in case our house burns down but don't consider that a waste of money.

Setting up a savings account for a pet's vet bills is a rubbish idea. What if you suddenly get a bill for £3,000 when your pet is only 18 months old, as I did? Without insurance to pay it, I would have had to take out a loan.

I would say the best bet is to look at a comparison website as premiums do vary dramatically, and some cover things you might never want/need.

I am at present with LV who are very reasonable and give me a discount because I also have car insurance with them.

I have always used More Than for all my dogs. My last dog got to 17 years and had Cushing disease, needed meds and bloods done every 3 months , plus arthritis meds too. I never had any problems with claims right to the end and was horrified when I used to look out of curiosity what others charged for elderly dogs insurance, the prices they charged were ridiculous. I've often thought about setting up a savings account, buy knowing my luck I'd only cancel it and something would happen. Plus my rescue dog has been diagnosed with epilepsy 4 wks ago so can't change insurers now anyway as it's an ongoing illness...they've got me now.

Sorry insurance is petplan

I had a Rottweiler. Yearly insurance only . Hence first year his eyes needed an op but this was considered a pre existing condition . Second year he pulled a cruciate ligament £2,000 . Ins payed next year the other leg went £2,000 plus . Fourth year diabetes and cancer ! First year of illness they payed out . Then he had to be put down . Thank god for insurance! My new dog has ongoing insurance. More expensive but could not save enough to pay for bills now. Costs have gone up along with treatments. It is swings and roundabouts, bear in mind a hip replacement in a large dog is almost as much as a human going private lol

I have used Animal friends for several years, at about £6-50 for each cat and £7-68 for my dog, they are lifetime ones, but up to around £4000, you can pay a bit more for a higher insured sum
I have had to claim twice ,and they paid direct to my vet
Some premiums are ridiculously priced,but i am happy with them






£

Just to say that £30 a month is for both cats, not each.

I have Petplan; can't remember the exact figure but about £30 a month for my two pedigree Birman cats. Another good investment was a plan at the vets for lifetime annual vaccinations and health checks. Paid about £100 each per cat a year ago, and from now on pay nothing extra.

I had Tesco insurance, it was cheaper than the others so wasnt expecting much after a recent claim, however they paid out within days and were very helpful.

I'd go saving account in your situation. In mine, I kept up Pet Plan for both my dogs, thank goodness I did. Last year one was put to sleep 24 days after first showing signs all wasn't well. He was 6 and a very fit, happy boy till an inoperable tumour changed all that. Alongside this horror, our 10 year old dog had what can best be described as petit Mal type episodes, followed by a cancer diagnosis . The cost of all this horror was heading for £9000. Fortunately our insurer and vet worked together so all we had to worry about was the dogs. The six year old was put to sleep here at home, heartbreaking but that last loving thing you can do for your loved pet. The older dog recovered and is a happy, fit 11 year old.
Pet plan - expensive but it pays up.
However, in the OP situation, I'd save rather than insure.

My little JRT has over £4,500 in her bank account! She's ten years old now and recently had to have a cracked tooth extracted (£420) but otherwise is fit as a fiddle. I'd rather spend my money on really good food.

Definitely a savings account - no question.
Our vet has a pet plan to cover inoculations, flea and worm treatment plus 6 monthly check ups , paid monthly and a really good saving. Hopefully your vet will also offer this.

I use Sainsbury’s and get double nectar points on all purchases, it was an offer when I signed up 2 years ago.n

I’m paying nearly £50 a month for my 14 year old JRT.
I’ve never made a claim on his policy and had it since he was a few weeks old. My other 2 were CKC spaniels and I did claim later in life for them for heart problems but the excess was massive to my mind. I definitely didn’t get back anywhere near what I’d paid in. Savings account for me in future

I used M & S, who were brilliant. Our poor little cat went through a horrendous time and the vet’s bill ran into thousands of pounds (over £8000 ?) in just a few weeks! She was only five years old, so I think premiums were lower than you would pay, as I think eight years old is the usual increase age. I paid about £18 per month and had the maximum cover.

A few years ago I had pet insurance with S******ys the grocery store when Tara was quite young. The first year was a reasonable price but the second so outrageous I had to move.

I cannot recommend anywhere- a savings account sounds the best bet and because of your animal's age I am not sure if she/he is insurable.

Thanks all for your advice (and apologies for my horrendous spelling in OP!)

I was already thinking of going down the savings account route and I would never not pay for treatment. Somehow I feel more 'secure' with insurance, I think I've been brainwashed!

Same as Hetty says- as advised by our friend the vet. Very difficult to get insurance for older pet anyhow.

Good for you btw x

Spent a fortune on pet insurance for my 3 dogs over the years. Premiums start off nice and low but rise horrendously over the years. When I made a claim I had £100 excess plus 30% of vets bill to pay. I only have my one dog now and will continue paying for insurance for him.
In the future if I have another dog I will open a special “ doggy vets bill” account at bank and pay in money monthly.

My cat has been insured with More Than since she was a few months old. It's the first time I've ever taken out pet insurance so I've nothing to compare their service with. However, I've no complaints about the speed with which they pay out on the two occasions I've made a claim - we received a cheque by return post. When we moved from Greater London to the East Midlands, they called me to say my premium would be reduced as veterinary costs are lower in the new place.

Puss is now nearly 15 and premiums have gone up around £200 in the last two years, based on age and claim history - the cost was £374 for 2019. However, my previous cat developed a chronic illness and I had huge vet bills with no insurance. So, as More Than continue to cover ongoing conditions, I reckon that, even taking the policy excess into consideration, it's a price worth paying.

Can I recommend? No! I'd suggest that you set up a 'savings account' for the cat instead. Pay in what you can reasonably afford to draw upon if and when needed.