We are a nation of animal lovers and most of us love our dogs and cats so much that we see them as true members of our family. This means we want to protect them and keep them safe. Still, there is a strange situation where many pet owners in the United Kingdom still do not have pet insurance polices for their animals.
Pet insurance is one of the best decisions you can make for your cat. By having proper cover in place, you can access veterinary care if your pet falls ill or suffers and accident. A small financial outlay each month is much better than being on the hook for hundreds or even thousands of pounds if your cat needs animal care.
When people think about getting pet insurance policies, they often assume it is only for their dog. That is not the case as cat insurance is also available from insurance companies. At EmeraldPet, we provide comprehensive insurance options for both dog and cat owners. You can get a quote today and see what the best pet insurance policy we have available.
And that makes plenty of sense. Not only is the UK a nation of dog lovers, we also have a soft spot for our feline friends. There are over 7 million cats in the country, with 16% of all households owning at least one.
Cats are independent animals and much more inquisitive and exploratory than dogs. In other words, cats are arguably more prone to accidents and illnesses simply because of their willingness to roam and their athletic ability. Finding the best cat insurance is the absolute best way to guarantee your cat has optimal care if something should happen.
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Cat Insurance Misconceptions
Many animal owners will avoid buying pet insurance because they believe it is either too expensive or cannot help them in times of need. Both these concepts of pet cover are wrong. Taking out the best cat insurance policy for your pet is both inexpensive and can provide vital protection should your animal fall ill or have an accident.
EmeraldPet understands the importance of animals to families, so our pet insurance policies focus on providing comprehensive options to give complete cover should the worst happen. Cats may seem like tough animals, but they are also vulnerable. Having cat insurance in place can get the best vet care for your animal and cover you financially.
Interestingly, cat insurance is also not as expensive as most people believe. Certainly, insurance is far more value than paying for veterinary care yourself. An Association of British Insurers (ABI) study shows the average pet insurance claim in 2016 was £750. This means the amount needed to cover the costs of vet care or other protection.
Do you want to pick up that tab?
Best Cat Insurance
One of the first questions pet owners ask us is what exactly cat insurance is. It seems this type of insurance confuses a lot of people. One of the first misconceptions is pet insurance policies is they are only for when your animal dies. Sort of like life insurance for animals. Many pet owners don’t realise that the best insurance policies more for when your animal is alive and helps you cover the costs of vet visits, medical fees, and more.
While you may think you can avoid cat insurance because your animal never gets sick or has an injury, doing so is a big risk. Like humans, cats and dogs are prone to illnesses and often problems arrive without warning. Vet fees can be hugely expensive, especially if surgery is involved. Pet insurance is the best way to help cover the costs.
With pet insurance, you are also more likely to give your pet a higher quality of general care. Various studies show cat owners are more likely to take a sick animal to the vet if they have pet insurance. That’s because cover removes the concern of having to pay high veterinary fees. Many owners without insurance will wait to see if an animal recovers before acting.
With EmeraldPet insurance, you can remove those worries. Even if you don’t think your animal needs to visit the vet, our tele-vet service – FirstVet – provides direct online access to a vet who can answer questions and provide a first diagnosis.
To know more about what we offer, give us a call to get a quote.
Should I get cat insurance?
Pets are amazing. They can provide you with love, affection, fun, and companionship. Cats are loyal animals that despite their perceived independence become reliant on their owners for care. Pet ownership is a joyful experience, but it also involves responsibility, financial planning, and big decisions.
Owning a cat involves buying food, litter, bedding, and other costs. If you add veterinary fees to the list, you may be wondering what you got yourself in for. Vets can be expensive, even for standard checkups. If you factor in treatments, medicines, and surgery, the costs can spiral out of control.
In fact, if your cat comes down with an ailment that needs in-hospital care, surgery, or ongoing treatment, you could be left with a bill running into thousands of pounds. Most people don’t have that kind of money lying around, even to pay for a beloved cat. In these situations, people are turning to debt and making harsh decisions about their finances, and even in some extreme cases consider euthanizing the animal.
Pet insurance removes these worries, providing you with a financial foundation to ensure your cat gets vet care and treatment when needed. There are no reasons to burden yourself with the pressures of veterinary fees by considering pet insurance as an investment that could save you a lot of money down the road.
We recommend purchasing pet insurance for your cat at the earliest age possible. There are several reasons why this is a wise thing to do:
- Get a lower rate: As animals get older, the risk of sickness and injury increases. Insurers base rates on risk, so the less risk the more affordable your policy will be.
- Preparing for the future: You buy pet insurance to protect yourself if your cat gets sick or has an accident in the future. It is a purchase meant for mitigation. It is worth noting insurance companies won’t pay out a claim for an animal that has a pre existing condition.
How much does cat insurance UK cost?
Most people fear insurance of all kinds. They look at car insurance, which can often be expensive, and assume all insurance products must be the same. It’s one of the biggest misconceptions about the industry.
The truth is insurance products are often affordable (yes, even car insurance), especially if you break them up into monthly payments and compare them to how much you would have to spend if you did not have cover. Pet insurance is one of the most affordable types of cover considering the level of protection it brings to your cat or dog. Some of the best pet insurance policies are available at affordable rates, meaning cheap pet insurance is available.
Data from the Association of British Insurance (ABI) shows the average cost of cat insurance in the UK was £279 per year in 2016. That’s the average, so you could pay more or less for your policy, but for £23 per month it’s not a bad deal. It is worth remembering the average pet insurance claim is £750, so even a single claim in a year could mean you save significantly.
To determine the cost of your policy, EmeraldPet will ask you what level of cover you want, including optional extras. What type of cat, location, and previous illnesses may also factor into our decision-making process. Probably the best way to understand the cost of our best pet insurance policies is to get a quote by contacting us directly.
Pet Insurance Companies UK
One of the best things about the world of insurance is there are no two solutions alike. Different companies have different approaches to the cover they provide. For example, these differences could be related to what is available in a policy, what scenarios are not covered, and so on.
In terms of pet insurance, there is a wider selection of options available from numerous providers. However, there are some standard policy benefits you should be looking for when shopping for the best cover:
- Accident Insurance: Cats are playful and adventurous, but don’t be fooled by their athletic grace. While its rare, cats get into all kinds of accidents. Insurance with accidental cover can help to protect your finances if your feline gets into an accident.
- Illness Insurance: Animals are not infallible to illness, especially when you consider what they are willing to put in their mouth. Whether it’s a minor ailment or something that requires more dedicated care, pet insurance can cover the costs of managing animal illness.
It is worth remembering insurance companies do not count pre existing conditions as part of a policy.
Below are some of the leading pet insurance providers in the UK:
EmeraldPet
EmeraldPet is an insurance policy for cats and dogs that focuses on providing the best basic cover for your pet across 4 levels of veterinary care. You can also opt for several additional benefits to expand your policy to other areas of pet care and costs.
Our basic pet insurance policy will help you cover the costs of vet visits, which can quickly mount up if you have an animal that requires ongoing care. The EmeraldPet policy includes cover for unplanned visits to the vet, not including vaccinations and pregnancy problems. You can purchase cover for the costs of treatments outlined in your policy, up to the set fee limit (see below).
Most pet owners visit the same vet and value the consistency of their animal having medical care from the same practitioner. With the EmeraldPet cover, you can choose the vet you take your animal to. If you get a quote directly from us, you are likely to get a better rate than if you shop through a quote engine.
Standard Pet Insurance
Many customers opt for our standard pet insurance package, which is available over four separate vet fee limits, £1,000, £3,000, £6,000, and £7,500. These limits mean your policy will cover you up to the stated sum of money for vet care, including visits and lifetime cover.
EmeraldPet also bakes into the policy complimentary treatments up to 25% of your chosen veterinary limit. This is important because complimentary treatments, such as physiotherapy, acupuncture, and homeopathy can be expensive. Instead of ignoring these treatments, our cover helps you cover the cost to help your pet get the help it needs.
We also understand how important structure and training is in the life of an animal. Sure, cats are a little more problematic than dogs to train, but it is worth noting the EmeraldPet pet insurance policy includes £200 towards training and behaviour conditioning. Furthermore, we provide up to £300 towards clinical diets.
Optional Extras
Our basic cat insurance policy is ideal for your visits to the vet, but some pet owners may need a more comprehensive policy to cover other scenarios. EmeraldPet insurance has a list of optional extras that help you expand your level of cover and bring more protection to your animal. Our optional extras are available in three tiers, but you can select options across all packages:
Standard Optional Additions
- Up to £1,500 per year for a missing pet, including rewards and advertising
- Daily pet-sitting or boarding fees up to £1,500 per year
- Up to £1,500 per year towards accidental or illness-related theft, death, or straying
- Holiday cancellation up to £5,000 per year
Optional Overseas Travel Insurance
While you are far less likely to take your cat on vacation as you are your dog, our overseas travel cover is still an interesting addition. When taking an animal abroad, there are a lot of financial risks to consider. Our extras ensure you can protect yourself from some of the most common costs of pet travel.
- Quarantine costs up to £2,000 per year
- Emergency expenses up to £1,000 per year
- Repeat worming for dogs up to £250 per year
- Loss of a pet passport up to £250 per year
- Option to extend vet fees cover outside the country
Optional Third-Party Liability
Cats are well-known as spontaneous animals that are liable to mood swings. They are often prone to expressing fear, anxiety, and curiosity in a physical way. A cat that purrs on your lap every night may become a scratching ball of claws and teeth if a stranger comes into your home. It’s a built-in instinct that you can do little to mitigate. If an accident does happen and a third-party holds you responsible, EmereldPet optional extras can help:
- Maximum cover up to £1,000,000 per event
- Legal liability cover if your dog damages someone else’s property
- Legal liability cover if your dog causes injury or death
More Than – Classic
More Than features maximum claims per condition of between £4,000 and £8,000. Policies include accidental damage for cats and dogs as standard. There is third-party liability cover built in, but only for dogs. More Than Classic comes with some other perks, such as death cover from accident or illness, lost and found protection, and pet travel insurance.
Bought By Many – Complete
The “Complete” policy is the most comprehensive pet insurance from Bought by Many. Customers get cover up to £15,000 for veterinary fees, alongside cover for dental problems. Elsewhere, the policy provides up to £6,000 towards loss and theft, and up to £2,500 cover for traveling abroad with your pet.
Direct Line – Select Premier Cover
Despite being the highest – and thus most expensive – insurance solution Direct Line offers for pets; Select Premier is probably not as robust as some other similar policies. That said, it provides up to £8,000 in vet fee cover. Other benefits include claims paid directly to vets, no limit on the number of claims, and holiday cancellation cover up to £5,000.
Tesco Bank – Premier
Tesco Bank provides a robust comprehensive pet insurance policy that has some good options. For example, customers can choose between £4,000, £7,500, and £10,000 in vet fee cover. The policy also includes up to £1,000 towards lost pet cover, dental fees, protection for puppies and kittens from 8 weeks old, multi pet options, and 24-hour vetfone access.
M&S Bank – Premier
M&S Bank offers a well-rounded pet insurance package that includes up to £7,000 in vet fee cover over 12 months. Other policy benefits include £1,000 towards complimentary treatments, £200 for diet treatments, and £250 for behavioral and training cover. Lifetime cover is also available.
John Lewis Finance Pet Insurance – Plus
John Lewis also provides up to £7,000 as an annual limit for vet fees. The company has a dedicated cat insurance that includes behavioral treatment up to £250, food treatments up to £250, and lost or stolen pets up to £500. Because this is the company’s premium offering, lifetime cover is included in the policy.
LV= Pet Insurance
LV= is one of the most popular pet insurance providers, giving customers up to £10,000 towards veterinary fees during a year. The company also has one of the best lost pet packages, giving up to £1,500 in cover (£500 of which can go towards a reward). Third-party liability up to £2 million is also included on LV= pet insurance policies.
Animal Friends – Prestige
One of the differences between Animal Friends and other pet insurance providers is the company provides dedicated cover to animal owners. Furthermore, the company prides itself on donations to animal welfare charities. In terms of the policies at Animal Friends, they are fairly standard. For example, there is public liability, death, boarding, theft, and overseas travel cover.
John Lewis Finance Pet Insurance – Essential
Sainsburys Bank Premier
As well as multi-pet policies, Sainsbury’s offers dedicated cover for cats and dogs. With the Premier package, you receive an unlimited treatment period, a per condition level of cover, and holiday cover. The maximum benefit for covering vet fees is £6,000 and includes dental work, physiotherapy, and overseas vet treatments.
Petplan – Classic
PetPlan is amongst the most popular pet insurance companies and provides three levels of cover: Essential, Covered for Life Classic, and Covered for Life Ultimate. With the latter, customers receive the most comprehensive of the PetPlan policies. Benefits include no penalties on claims, direct payments to vets, and between £4,000 and £12,000 in vet fees.
