Hi guys, I recently took my 10 year old cat to a new vet due to vomiting and they said that after diagnosing him with heart murmur and arrhythmia as well as possible damage to kidneys from his previous history in his bloodwork, they wanted to run more tests on him. This would include bloodwork and an heart examination, but the whole thing is pretty expensive for me as a broke college student. I was thinking of getting pet insurance to cover these fees (Lemonade), but I'm not sure if it would be covered since his kidney and heart conditions might be considered as "pre-existing"? I'm not sure if it's even considered pre-existing since his kidneys were never formally diagnosed to be CKD by all the vets that we have went to, but the bloodworks showed signs of damage to it. Or is bloodwork and examinations covered regardless of the cause? Any advice would be appreciated.
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Is Pet Insurance Worth It For An Elder Cat?
- Thread starter Kalsajo
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- Feb 14, 2024
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I have insurance for my four younger cats (3,2,10 months x 2), but not for my oldest who is 20. I didn't know about insurance when I got my oldest cat. It's worked out really well for the other four who have had various issues like UTIs and one of them has chronic problems with her spleen. My insurance even covers about 80% of prescription food.
I didn't know it was possible to start a policy on an older cat. Mine were all about four months when I joined and it was my understanding that the older they get it would cost too much to take insurance. If you can find a company who will do it that would be amazing and probably well worth it since you can cancel every year when it renews.
Mine only covers accidents and illness, so not vaccines and neuters etc. I also have a copay and a yearly deductible for each cat. Bloodwork and testing would be covered on mine if the tests are done because of signs and symptoms of illness. If the test comes back showing they aren't sick it's still covered because the doctor would have ordered it to rule out illness. My youngest kittens got mandatory bloodwork prior to their spay / neuter surgeries and that wasn't covered, because it wasn't related to illness. It was done to make sure they could handle anaesthesia or something like that. Examinations are only eligible if they're related to illness as opposed to an exam for getting vaccines etc.
When I signed up for insurance they wanted all the vet records to be sent to them directly from the vet and they went through them really carefully even though they were only four months old. There was also a waiting period where I couldn't submit any claims for something like 14 days after the commencement of the policy and when I did, the claim couldn't be anything that had already been noted in their file. For example my youngest kitty Hester peed in the bathtub when we got her at 8 weeks old. I mentioned it casually to my vet prior to getting insurance even though it wasn't investigated at that time. By the time I later got insurance, she had clear symptoms of a UTI but they wouldn't cover it because it was day 13 of my waiting period (I had counted wrong when I made the vet appointment), and because they saw in the vet records that I'd mentioned urinary issues two months before.
It can be pretty confusing when you first start but my main concern is that it might be cost-prohibitive for you if your cat is already ten. The price would go up quite sharply to offset the fact you haven't been paying into it since 2014 like other people might have. They will also see that your cat has a history of kidney and heart issues even though he wasn't diagnosed CKD.
It's worth making a call though, to find out. Your vet might have some ideas on which companies are best.
I didn't know it was possible to start a policy on an older cat. Mine were all about four months when I joined and it was my understanding that the older they get it would cost too much to take insurance. If you can find a company who will do it that would be amazing and probably well worth it since you can cancel every year when it renews.
Mine only covers accidents and illness, so not vaccines and neuters etc. I also have a copay and a yearly deductible for each cat. Bloodwork and testing would be covered on mine if the tests are done because of signs and symptoms of illness. If the test comes back showing they aren't sick it's still covered because the doctor would have ordered it to rule out illness. My youngest kittens got mandatory bloodwork prior to their spay / neuter surgeries and that wasn't covered, because it wasn't related to illness. It was done to make sure they could handle anaesthesia or something like that. Examinations are only eligible if they're related to illness as opposed to an exam for getting vaccines etc.
When I signed up for insurance they wanted all the vet records to be sent to them directly from the vet and they went through them really carefully even though they were only four months old. There was also a waiting period where I couldn't submit any claims for something like 14 days after the commencement of the policy and when I did, the claim couldn't be anything that had already been noted in their file. For example my youngest kitty Hester peed in the bathtub when we got her at 8 weeks old. I mentioned it casually to my vet prior to getting insurance even though it wasn't investigated at that time. By the time I later got insurance, she had clear symptoms of a UTI but they wouldn't cover it because it was day 13 of my waiting period (I had counted wrong when I made the vet appointment), and because they saw in the vet records that I'd mentioned urinary issues two months before.
It can be pretty confusing when you first start but my main concern is that it might be cost-prohibitive for you if your cat is already ten. The price would go up quite sharply to offset the fact you haven't been paying into it since 2014 like other people might have. They will also see that your cat has a history of kidney and heart issues even though he wasn't diagnosed CKD.
It's worth making a call though, to find out. Your vet might have some ideas on which companies are best.
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Insurance for an older cat, with a bad medical history is not worth it. Trust me. They will not cover much of anything, stating that all these a previous medical conditions. Insurance is best begun for a younger animal, with no pre-existing conditions.
The amount of the premium, the deductible, would be like throwing money into a fire. Best to save up for you car’s care— at this point.
Good luck
The amount of the premium, the deductible, would be like throwing money into a fire. Best to save up for you car’s care— at this point.
Good luck
I do have pet insurance and regret not insuring an older dog, but in general I agree with
artiemom
about this subject. Your cat will be excluded for all heart conditions and kidney conditions which may even include adjunct issues like a UTI. On the outside chance that your cat will eventually develop a condition which has not even been hinted at in his past medical history, which is what happened to my dog, the insurance will cover it. That kind of judgment call is entirely up to you. Insurance for an older pet will be high. They wanted $100 per month to insure my dog, with exclusions.
If you google "pet insurance that covers pre existing conditions" you will find some results.
Pet Insurance That Covers Pre-Existing Conditions
Curable conditions are sometimes covered, and in other cases there may be a waiting period of 6 months during which time a condition cannot reoccur in order for it to be covered.
artiemom
about this subject. Your cat will be excluded for all heart conditions and kidney conditions which may even include adjunct issues like a UTI. On the outside chance that your cat will eventually develop a condition which has not even been hinted at in his past medical history, which is what happened to my dog, the insurance will cover it. That kind of judgment call is entirely up to you. Insurance for an older pet will be high. They wanted $100 per month to insure my dog, with exclusions.If you google "pet insurance that covers pre existing conditions" you will find some results.
Pet Insurance That Covers Pre-Existing Conditions
Curable conditions are sometimes covered, and in other cases there may be a waiting period of 6 months during which time a condition cannot reoccur in order for it to be covered.
