Cat insurance: when it is worth it and what to check
Many people find out they needed insurance when the cat is already at the vet's with a bill for a thousand euros. Others pay for years for a policy that does not cover what they thought. Cat insurance can be worth it, but only if you choose well and in good time.
Two different kinds of insurance
When people talk about cat insurance, two things get mixed up. Third-party liability insurance covers damage your cat might cause to other people or their property. Health insurance, or vet fee cover, pays part of your own cat's vet bills. They are different products at different prices, and they are often sold together. For a cat that lives indoors, liability cover matters little, because damage to third parties is rare; health insurance is the one that can really make a difference in an emergency or a long illness.
Is it compulsory?
Not for cats. In Spain, Law 7/2023 (the animal welfare law) makes third-party liability insurance compulsory for keeping dogs, not cats. That does not rule out some regional or municipal rule requiring something, so it is worth checking for your region; elsewhere, check the rules where you live. It is also worth knowing that many home insurance policies already include liability cover for pets, sometimes with limits or conditions: before taking anything out, check your home policy. Health insurance is never compulsory: it is a financial decision.
What health insurance costs
In Spain, as a rough guide, cat health insurance costs between €10 and €30 a month, depending on the cat's age, breed, the level of cover and the company. The cheapest usually cover accidents and little else, or give access to a network of vets with discounts; the most comprehensive reimburse a percentage of illness and surgery costs up to an annual limit. It tends to cost more for pedigree cats with known predispositions and goes up with age. Compare it with the cost of the most common emergencies: a urinary blockage, €600 to €2,000; surgery for a swallowed foreign body, €800 to €2,000; a fall from a balcony, €500 to €3,000.
The small print: pre-existing conditions
No insurance covers illnesses your cat already has, or has already had, when you take out the policy. If your cat already has kidney problems or has had cystitis, all of that will be excluded, and sometimes anything related to it. That is why the time to take out health insurance is when the cat is young and healthy, ideally in its first year. Taking it out at ten, when the problems start, is usually expensive and full of exclusions, and many companies will not even accept cats above a certain age, normally somewhere between eight and ten.
Waiting periods, excesses and limits
Read three things carefully. The waiting period: the time from taking out the policy until you can use it, usually a few weeks for illness and sometimes longer for certain surgeries. The excess or co-payment: the part you pay yourself on each bill or each year. And the limits: the maximum the insurer pays per year or per condition, which on some cheap products is so low it will not cover a serious emergency. Look at the exclusions too: many policies do not cover hereditary or congenital conditions of the breed, dentistry, or diseases that could have been prevented by vaccination.
Reimbursement or vet network
There are two main models. With reimbursement, you go to any vet you like, pay the bill and the company pays you back a percentage according to the policy. With a vet network, you can only go to the partner clinics, which charge you reduced rates or only part of the bill. The first gives you freedom; the second is usually cheaper, but check that your vet, or a good emergency clinic near home, is in the network. For a cat, access to a 24-hour emergency service is very important, because serious problems do not give warning.
The alternative: your own safety net
Many people prefer not to take out insurance and instead set aside a fixed amount each month in an account for the cat. With €25 a month, after fifteen years you have about €4,500, which covers almost any emergency and comes with no exclusions, waiting periods or age limits. The risk is that the emergency comes in the first year, before you have saved much, or that two come one after the other. A middle option is to combine cheap accident and emergency cover with a small monthly saving for everything else. What does not work is having neither.
Is it worth it for a cat?
It depends. A healthy, young indoor moggy has, on average, lower vet costs than a dog, and many owners prefer to save. A pedigree cat with known predispositions, a cat that goes outside or a male cat, because of the risk of urinary blockage, are cases where insurance makes more sense, as long as the policy does not exclude exactly what worries you. And if your budget could not withstand an unexpected bill of a thousand euros, insurance or a safety net is not a luxury: it is the difference between being able to treat your cat or not.
What almost no policy covers
It is worth being clear about what is usually left out, to avoid surprises. Preventive care, such as vaccines, parasite treatment and check-ups, is almost never covered, or only as a discount within the vet network. Neutering usually is not either, except on some products that include it as an extra. Dentistry, such as dental cleans, is often excluded or limited. And food, including lifelong prescription diets for conditions such as kidney disease, is almost never covered, even though it can be one of the biggest costs of an older cat. Do your sums with all of this in mind.
How to choose
Before signing up, ask for the general and specific terms in writing and read them. Ask exactly what is covered for illness, accidents, surgery and hospital stays; what the waiting periods, co-payment and annual limit are; what happens with hereditary and chronic conditions, and whether the premium goes up with age. Compare at least three options. And be wary of the cheapest policy: very often it is cheap because it does not cover what costs the most.
In Spain, the national law does not make liability insurance compulsory for cats, and your home insurance may already include it. Health cover costs €10 to €30 a month there and is worth it if you take it out while the cat is young and healthy and read the waiting periods, limits and exclusions carefully. The alternative is to set aside about €25 a month.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.