Is there such thing as Pet Insurance (medical)?

Question

I need to get my cat nuetered, shots, checkup, etc. How big should a cat be before nuetering and what else should I have done at the vet?

Answer 1

We love our Pets Best insurance policy, and I know that we could have added the wellness option that covers annual visits, shots and neutering for something like $12 more a month, which seems to be worth it for anyone who takes their animals to the vet regularly.

I don't think that the wellness part had a deductible, either, but there was a maximum amount per quarter. You can check them out online to see if it would be cost effective for you: http://www.petsbest.com/.

I completely agree with the poster who said that you need to look into and purchase insurace before problems come up (which they invariably do) so that everything is covered and you're not stuck with certain things being considered "pre-existing." I have also heard that six months is the appropriate time to spay or neuter. Good luck!

Answer 2

Yes there is but not all of them cover spaying/neutering. Most will cover an annual routine checkup. It's best to get the insurance while your cat is young because the premiums are more expensive the older the cat gets. Also, premiums are higher for certain breeds prone to known health conditions. It's a great thing to have if you know you wouldn't be able to afford a surgical procedure or treatment for a serious medical condition. It's probably not worth it, however, if you believe you can readily afford proper veterinary care on an ongoing basis. The best thing would be pay for the upfront costs (shots, neuter, deworming, etc.) and take good care of your cat's health. That means, keeping your cat indoors, enriching his life with toys, affection and attention, feeding a quality diet and not allowing your cat to become obese, and providing an annual checkup at the vet.

Answer 3

There is such a thing as pet insurance, but the company reimburses you rather than paying the vet. Most will cover routine care, if you elect to have it. Depending on the coverage you get, it can be fairly inexpensive...especially when you consider how expensive emergency care or illness can be. You should get the cats shots before neutering...most vets now require a rabies vaccine prior to surgery. Neutering can and should be done at 4-6 months of age, and some vets require they be a minimum weight (mine was 4 pounds min.) and in good health. The pricing for all care varies by city and by vet....call around for some quotes. Cats should be vaccinated at 8, 12, and 16 weeks for FVRCP (feline distemper combo), 16 weeks for rabies. Also recommended are FELV and FIV if your cat goes outside...these are both fatal and very contagious among cats. You should at least have the cat tested for both. They can be infected and have no signs. If your cat is positive, it will get sick eventually, and care will be very expensive. If you're getting the insurance, get it before the testing...don't want it not covered because it's pre-existing. You should also get the cat on flea/tick preventative...Frontline Plus is excellent and the only reputable source is a vet.

Answer 4

Yes. Here are some websites. www.petsbest.com www.petshealthplan.com and www.petinsurance.com Pet insurance is not outrageously expensive and is a lot cheaper than what your bill would be if you had to pay the medical bills out of pocket. I did a quick check and found that a basic plan that covers treatment for injury or illness is about $11/month for a cat and $15/month for a dog. Obviously the price goes up depending on what kind of coverage you want.

Answer 5

Yes there is Pet Insurance. It can be a little pricey but it can be a good thing to have in emergancy cases. Cats can be neutered at about 8 weeks and they will make sure they have their shots before they do the procedure. Most animal control or any city operated pound will do the procedure and it wouldn't cost as much as a private vet.

Answer 6

Yes, there is pet health insurance. Do a web search for "pet insurance" and you'll get hits on all the companies that write pet insurance policies.

Costs vary widely depending on whether you want coverage for routine care, big or small deductibles and co-pays, and so on.

I don't see how it makes sense to get coverage for routine care. It seems that the only way the company can make a profit on routine care is to charge you more in premiums than the care actually costs. I think insurance is better saved for the unexpected.

You can keep your premiums down if you select a policy with fairly high deductibles, fairly high co-pays, and no routine care coverage. That way you'll pay for the regular care and the small stuff out of your pocket, but if some big ticket item like cancer comes along, the insurance will kick in and pay most of the cost.

Spay or neuter young!!! Very young!

If you neuter a male before sexual maturity he'll be less likely to develop the habit of spraying to mark his territory. That will make him much easier to live with!

If you spay a female before sexual maturity you eliminate the risk of mammary cancer, and that's the most common killer cancer of female cats who aren't spayed before maturity.

Answer 7

yes there is pet insurance, personally we never got our cats it, though sometimes I wish we had because one of my cats has a couple medical problems and most insuraces won't cover pre existing conditions. maybe someone else can give you more info about pet insurance. Though for the most part especially if you are an established cliet at a vets office they will let you do payment plans to pay for the treatment.

it is usually recomnede that you get your cat neutered at about 6 months. if you wait too long then he will start spraying to mark his territory and at that point neutering may or may not stop his spraying.

Answer 8

vet's won't neuter a cat until it's 3-4 months old (at least). You can also apply for credit to pay for anything the vet does. The company we use is Care Credit. It also works for people Dr's, Dentists, etc.

Answer 9

yes there is. There are many type of insurance for animals. Whe I adopted my cat, the shelter gave me 1 month of free pet insruance. It's a great idea, especially if you have an outside animal or a pet that is around other animals often.

Answer 10

Yes. A good one I know of is through Banfield pet hospital (located in many Petco locations.) They have cheap insurance and they take great care of my kitties. Good luck!

Your cat will need to be checked for worms. If he has fleas, that will need dealing with as well (fleas can carry eggs for tapeworms - you don't want that.)