I'm thinking about getting cat insurance for Ripley. There was a flyer at my vet for VPI Pet Insurance (www.petinsurance.com/vca). Does anyone know anything about this company? Or can you recommend another pet insurance?
I thought about pet insurance but there is so much it does not cover (most of the basics for one thing - incl vaccinations) that I found that a fund in which I invested and allowed grow was way more effective! So my baby has her own bank account!
VPI is a reliable company according to my vet. I have my insurance with a different company, though, because I thought the VPI schedule of reimbursements was too low for the lowest-premium plan.
Here in England its encouraged to have pet insurance, i have my 2 remaining cats (my other cat Mawser passed away 2wks ago) insured for a total of £10 per month, this covers up to £2,500 medical bills, per cat,per year for each seperate illness or accident. I dont know what its like in the states for typical pet insurance perhaps you could let me know? nearly everyone that i know who own pets has some form of medical insurance its well worth it.
Icant understand why some people dont think its worth having them covered? i would say $10 is a fair price to protect ones furry friend. My next door neighbor has all her 5 cats insured just over a year ago one of them was hit by a car, he needed surgery to rebuild his broken jaw, he was given the usual injections, plus rewiring of his jaw and had to be kept in the vets for 3 nights. their insurance took care of all the vets medical bills, if they would have had no insurance the cost of all the treatment and care would have cost them £600 out of their own pockets! boy were they glad they had him covered. So it must be worth having cover for your pet? unless you are so well off you can afford to pay unlimited amounts to overpriced vet fees.
Well, there are arguments for both sides, really. It all depends on who you want to take the risk. Pay the insurance company monthly and let them take the risk of an unexpected expensive vet bill, or pocket the money and take the risk yourself. Some people would rather take the chance they won't have to pay a big vet bill. And I can understand that argument. It's just not something I want to do.
As a first time pet owner, I got the insurance (through VPI) so if something "big" happened, I wouldn't have to base finances as part of my decision. I chose to take that option out of the picture.
My one cat seems to be at the vet all the time (issues with his weight and a few times for anal problems.) I like feeling freer to take him as needed.
Of course the insurance doesn't cover everything, but the company mentioned is quite good with sending checks.
It's important to remember that insurance is there for the big things, when we least expect them. You may or may not get back what you put in. Hopefully, you don't get it back.....hopefully your kitty lives a healthy life.
With all of them, read the fine print carefully. Some will only reimburse you for the expenses, which means you have to have the means to pay the vet initially. I've chosen to have a credit card with a high enough limit to cover emergency services instead, so that I can pay the vet and spend the money that would have gone to premiums on paying down the card if needed. Also, be aware that if your cat has any pre-existing conditions (which one of mine does) then treatment for that condition may not be covered.