6 Tips for Choosing the Right Insurance for Your Cat
More and more cat owners are deciding to purchase health insurance for their pet cat. This allows them to have peace of mind and to make significant savings on certain veterinary expenses. However, it would be wrong to say that all cat owners should always subscribe to such an offer. In any case, it is important to assess certain specific criteria before making a decision.
Assess Your Cat's Needs
If you are unsure about purchasing health insurance for your cat, you should start by asking yourself what your cat's real needs are. A kitten that is a few months old doesn't really need health insurance once her vaccinations are done. Likewise, an older cat already afflicted with certain illnesses will be excluded from most insurance policies and those that accept it will often cost too much to be profitable.
Beyond the question of age, it is also necessary to wonder about the breed and the lifestyle of the cat. Some breeds are prone to more medical problems than others. Brachycephalic cats, like Persians, often have breathing problems that can lead to heart complications as early as 8 or 10 years old. Conversely, Norwegian cats are known for their iron health.
If you have a fragile breed cat, then a mutual insurance is recommended. However, this should not prevent you from purchasing health insurance if your cat's breed does not present a particular risk. Moreover, the last question to ask yourself in terms of health risk is obviously that of your cat's daily life: will he live indoors or outdoors? Outdoor cats have fewer long-term problems, but more risk of accidents.
Check that your cat is insured for life
If you have decided to take out cat insurance to have complete peace of mind like Lelynx's, then you should carefully review the offers to be sure that they suit your cat's needs and to your budget but also consult the opinions on mutuals for cat. Obviously, you have to start by studying the amount of the monthly payment, but not only.
You also need to make sure that your cat will be covered for life. Many insurance offers coverages that expire after a certain age. However, if your cat lives beyond this age, you will no longer be able to find insurance for him and you will have paid a mutual fund for nothing in the event of health problems. Likewise, it is imperative that you check that your cat's insurance is valid worldwide, especially if you are traveling with him.
Note the amount of the deductible
The advantage of a good mutual for your cat is that you can pay for it very quickly if your cat frequently has to go to the vet for routine consultations and these consultations are covered. However, the profitability of a mutual also depends greatly on the deductible that will be applied to each reimbursement request.
The deductible is the amount from which your insurance begins to reimburse you. For example, if a deductible of € 100 applies, a medical procedure for your cat which will have cost € 180 will only entitle you to a reimbursement of € 80. Result, if the deductible is too high, many consultations, vaccines, and even certain medical acts will not be reimbursed. So sometimes it's better to pay a little more each month for a lower deductible.
The reimbursement rate
To know if an insurance will be profitable, in particular compared to the frequency of the appointments with the veterinarian, it is also necessary to wonder about the rate of reimbursement. Depending on the price of your monthly payment, it will not always be the same, of course. In all cases, it represents the percentage of the price of the consultation, over and above the deductible, which will be refunded to you.
In general, this rate varies between 50% and 100% depending on the insurance. In any case, it is an important criterion which must guide your choice because it will allow the insurance to be profitable or not.
Watch out for the waiting periodwaiting
Theperiod is the time that elapses between the signing of the contract and its entry into force. Depending on the insurance, this period can vary between 7 and 180 days. It is therefore not a detail to be taken lightly and you must take it into account in the cost of the insurance since you are paying despite this waiting period.
In addition, if you decide to take out an insurance contract for your cat just before leaving on a trip and take him on the plane, this timeframe is a detail of great importance. Delaying too long could prevent your cat from being covered if something goes wrong if you haven't signed the contract far enough in advance.
The veterinarians' charter is there to guide you
In France, animal insurance has struggled to impose itself, in particular because their reputation has been tarnished by some abuses on the part of insurers who took advantage of the lack of transparency on certain contracts. TheOrder of Veterinarians has therefore decided to draw up a charter to which insurers can adhere to prove their good will and their seriousness.
So check that the insurer you are interested in has adhered to this charter before making a definitive commitment. Like a label, this charter is a good way to guide you towards serious insurance. In addition, the involvement of the Order of Veterinarians helps to make this charter credible.
Finally, when looking for insurance for your cat, keep in mind that it will only be really profitable in the event of a very serious health problem that requires a very expensive operation. However, it is really undesirable for such a need to arise. You must therefore take into account in your calculations the peace of mind that such a service brings to you. It is difficult to put a price on it, but it allows all suitable insurance to be "profitable".
Be Smart and Compare Cat Insurance
To find the ideal insurance, you won't have to go through 4 paths! You must compare the different formulas offered by insurers. Choose the formula that presents the best offers at the best prices, in other words the best guaranteed / price ratio. Obviously, if you do this comparison work manually, it will take you forever.
