In this Article
- Best Cat Insurance Plans and Providers
- Compare Cat Insurance Companies
- What is Cat Insurance?
- How To Find the Best Cat Insurance
- Factors to consider
- Final Thoughts
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Our Methodology
Written by
Graci Daby
Written by Graci Daby Author
Graci Daby graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Journalism. She has written for 365 Pet insurance, and edited pet insurance categories across other Insurance focused sites, including MarketWatch. Recently, Graci has been working as an SEO analyst and editor in the pet field for the past 2 years. In her spare time, Graci looks after her fur babies.
Edited by
Quartz Advisor Reviews Team
Edited by Quartz Advisor Reviews Team QZ.com
The Quartz Advisor Reviews Team is dedicated to researching and reviewing automotive financial products to help QZ.com readers make smart decisions when purchasing car insurance and auto loans. Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of service providers. Our researchers spend hundreds of hours evaluating companies based on pricing, industry reputation, online reviews, availability of products, and overall customer experience.
04/18/2024 08:45 AM
The best cat insurance plan could help you save thousands of dollars if your cat gets unexpectedly injured or develops an illness. One day in an animal hospital can set pet owners back as much as $1,500, with treatments like emergency surgery costing thousands of dollars, oxygen therapy costing up to $2,500, and wound treatments costing $800 to $1,500 on average for cats. These are serious bills that can leave many pet owners in a financial pinch, especially considering one in four Americans have no emergency fund and less than four in 10 people have enough savings to cover an unexpected cost of $1,000.
As a result, cat insurance is an important investment for pet owners because we never want to say no to critical treatments for our beloved cats.
Best Cat Insurance Plans and Providers
In this guide, we will discuss the best pet insurance companies and their cat insurance plan offerings:
- Spot: Best overall
- Lemonade: Most affordable
- ASPCA: Most experienced
- Embrace: Best for deductibles
- Healthy Paws: Best for chronic conditions
- Prudent Pet: Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options
Compare Cat Insurance Companies
| Best For | Star Rating | Monthly Cost | Link | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spot |  | Most Inclusive | 4.8/5 | $22-$80 | Compare Quotes |
| Lemonade |  | Most Affordable | 4.8/5 | $16–$30 | Compare Quotes |
| ASPCA Pet Insurance |  | Most Experienced | 5/5 | $18–$44 | Compare Quotes |
| Embrace |  | Best for Discounts Offered | 4.7/5 | $23-$85 | Compare Quotes |
| Healthy Paws |  | Best for Chronic Conditions | 4.3/5 | $24–$54 | Compare Quotes |
| Prudent Pet |  | Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options | 4/5 | $18-$29 | Compare Quotes |
Spot
Lemonade
ASPCA
Embrace
Healthy Paws
Prudent Pet
| Spot | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Most Inclusive |
| Star Rating | 4.8/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $22-$80 |
| Lemonade | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Most Affordable |
| Star Rating | 4.8/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $16–$30 |
| ASPCA Pet Insurance | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Most Experienced |
| Star Rating | 5/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $18–$44 |
| Embrace | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Best for Discounts Offered |
| Star Rating | 4.7/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $23-$85 |
| Healthy Paws | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Best for Chronic Conditions |
| Star Rating | 4.3/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $24–$54 |
| Prudent Pet | |
|---|---|
| Logo |  |
| Best For | Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options |
| Star Rating | 4/5 |
| Monthly Cost | $18-$29 |
Company
Waiting Period
Money-back Guarantee
Maximum Enroll Age
Monthly Cost
*Certain conditions, such as cruciate ligaments or orthopedic conditions, may have longer waiting period times, usually six months to a year. This is common among many pet insurance providers, but most illnesses will be covered after the waiting period listed above.
Why Trust Quartz Advisor
Our editorial team follows a strict and comprehensive methodology for rating and reviewing pet insurance providers. Our scores are not impacted by advertisers.
27
Companies rated
105
Hours researching
2,700
Quotes collected
Spot
Most Inclusive
4.8
Learn more: Spot Reviews
Overview
Spot offers a wide variety of plans, including multiple comprehensive wellness plans for cats. Spot’s wellness plans are offered in two packages and give them a significant edge over their competition. We like that it takes a holistic approach to health with coverage options for accidents, illnesses, and routine veterinary care. Spot is partnered with Cesar Millan, the famous dog trainer, and it shows in its approach to animal care. Spot has extensive coverage for behavioral issues, which many pet insurance providers don’t cover, and offers free online resources for pet parents to train their pets and prevent future problems.
Spot’s insurance is provided by Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, a top-rated insurance provider that has been around since 2006. Overall, we like that Spot is backed by a strong insurer, offers a multi-pet discount, and has a strong focus on holistic health and behavioral care.
Pros and Cons
Pros Offers comprehensive wellness plans No upper age limits 30-day money-back guarantee Excellent coverage for both accident and illness-related costs Cons Prescription pet food is not covered Does not cover exotic animals
Plans and Coverage
Spot offers both an accident-only and accident and illness plan for cats. Its accident-only plans start at $10 per month, while its complete coverage plans start at $16 per month. On average, you can expect to pay between $18 and $25 per month for your cat if you enroll it in a Spot pet insurance plan. We love that Spot offers a large amount of customization for its plan, including an annual limit choice of $2,500 to unlimited. It also offers multiple reimbursem*nt rate choices, including 70, 80, and 90%. These options give cat owners a lot of control over the cost of their monthly premiums and how much coverage they want.
In addition, Spot is well known for its multiple wellness plan options, which give cat owners financial support for routine veterinary care costs, such as wellness exams and vaccines.
Spot’s gold plan is $9.95 per month and offers annual benefits of $250. Here is what’s included in its gold plan:
- Dental cleaning $100
- Wellness exam $50
- Feline FVRCP vaccine/titer $20
- Rabies and or Feline FIP vaccine/titer $20
- Fecal test $20
- Feline FELV test $20
- Deworming $20
Spot’s platinum plan is offered at $24.95 per month and has $450 in annual benefits. Here is what is included in its platinum plan:
- Dental cleaning or spay/neuter $150
- Wellness exam $50
- Flea/heartworm prevention $25
- Feline FELV vaccine/titer $25
- Feline FVRCP vaccine/titer $20
- Feline FIP vaccine/titer $20
- Fecal test $20
- Feline FELV test $20
- Blood test $25
- Urinalysis $25
- Deworming $20
- Health certificate $25
ASPCA Pet Insurance
Most Experienced
5
Learn more: ASPCA Reviews
ASPCA Pet Insurance
ASPCA Pet Insurance is the result of a partnership between the respectable American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the top-rated Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group. Its goal is to provide pet parents with a financial safety net so that they never have to worry about paying for necessary medical treatments for their pets.
We love that ASPCA has an easy-to-use Member Center app, which allows you to make quick payments, submit and track claims, review your benefits, and contact its team easily. ASPCA also offers a generous multi-pet discount, many customizable coverage options, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Other significant benefits include that ASPCA does not require an exam before enrollment, which saves you time and the hassle of taking your cat to the veterinarian before signing it up for a pet insurance plan. It also gives you the option to pay your premium monthly or annually and be reimbursed for claims through check or direct deposit.
Pros & Cons
Pros Coverage for alternative therapies Offers multi-pet discount Partner of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Lower deductibles than most Microchipping coverage Cons Poor customer reviews Low annual coverage limits Coverage waiting period is longer than most
Plans and Coverage
ASPCA offers a variety of plans for cats, including a more affordable accident-only coverage plan option that will give you a financial safety net for the worst-case scenario without making a massive dent in your finances. All of ASPCA’s plans start 15 days after you enroll your cat in the policy, which is a pretty average waiting period for pet insurance.
On average, ASPCA cat insurance will cost $29.16 per month for its accident and illness plan. This plan will cover accidents, such as broken bones, cuts, poisoning, and illnesses like diabetes, digestive problems, and dental disease. Although ASPCA offers dental coverage, we would like to note that it’s less extensive than other pet insurance providers that offer dental coverage.
ASPCA also offers a preventative pet care plan for cats, with two options: its basic preventative plan and prime preventative plan.
ASPCA’s basic preventative care plan includes the following:
- Dental cleaning
- Wellness exam
- Deworming
- FVRCP vaccine/titer
- Rabies or FIP vaccine/titer
- Fecal test
- FeLV test
Its prime plan includes everything above and coverage for a health certificate, FeLV vaccine, blood test, and urinalysis. Overall, the basic plan provides $250 in annual coverage, while the prime plan provides you with $450. ASPCA’s basic plan will cost $9.95 per month, and its prime plan will cost $24.95 per month. Both of these prices are in addition to your accident and illness plan premium.
As a whole, we love ASPCA’s thorough preventative plan options, generous multi-pet discounts, and strong backing by a well-regarded insurance group. However, we don’t like that its plan stops at a $10,000 annual limit, but its accident-only and wellness plan options are great choices for pet parents.
Lemonade
Most Affordable
4.8
Learn more: Lemonade Pet InsuranceReviews
Lemonade Pet Insurance
Lemonade pet insurance impresses us with its wide variety of pet insurance plans, affordable pricing, easy online interface, and many customization options. With Lemonade, you can easily customize your coverage limits, annual deductible, and reimbursem*nt percentages. It also offers pet insurance coverage add-ons for specific treatments, like physical therapy and acupuncture.
We also like that Lemonade has a fast claim approval process. Lemonade’s exclusive app uses artificial intelligence to process your claims, which decreases your wait time from several weeks to just minutes. Lemonade also has a heavy emphasis on giving back to the community. To date, it has given back over 2.3 million dollars to nonprofit organizations through its Giveback program. Any unclaimed money that policyholders don’t claim at the end of the year goes back to nonprofit organizations of their choosing, which is a unique feature to Lemonade pet insurance.
Lemonade also offers renters and homeowners insurance on top of pet insurance, so you can create a custom insurance bundle to meet all your needs with one company. Our biggest dislike about Lemonade is that it doesn’t offer pet insurance for cats in 15 states currently, including Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Alaska, Delaware, Kentucky, Kansas, Maine, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Pros & Cons
Pros Completely online experience Special preventative care package for kittens and puppies 48-hour wait period for accidents 5% discount for multiple pets insured Cons Only available in 36 states and Washington, D.C. Newer to the market
Plans and Coverage
Lemonade offers several cat insurance plans. Its first and primary cat insurance plan is a comprehensive accident and illness plan covering a wide variety of your cat’s health emergencies, ranging from heart disease to broken bones, poisoning, diabetes, skin conditions, and more. Like all pet insurance providers and plans, this plan will not cover pre-existing conditions, which are defined as any health condition that your pet had before your Lemonade plan became active. This plan will also not cover elective procedures and behavioral treatments. You can expect to pay around $15 per month for your cat, although some of its plans start as low as $10 per month. Your fee will depend greatly on your location, your cat’s age, and current health.
On top of its accident and illness plan, Lemonade offers a preventative package add-on for cats. This plan can be added to your accident and illness plan but cannot be purchased independently. Lemonade’s cat preventative package is $10+/month and includes coverage for the following:
- One annual wellness exam
- One fecal or internal parasite test
- One heartworm test
- One blood test
- Vaccines (up to three)
- Medical advice chat
Lemonade also offers a special kitten preventative package, which is $34+/month, and includes coverage for:
- Two wellness exams
- Two fecal or internal parasite tests
- One heartworm test
- One blood test
- Vaccines (up to six)
- Medical advice chat
- Flea/tick or heartworm medication
- Routine dental cleaning
- Microchip
- Spay/neuter
In short, we love that Lemonade offers a comprehensive wellness package for both cats and kittens, as this gives pet owners more coverage for different points in their cat’s life. We also like Lemonade’s thorough accident and illness coverage and overall affordable pricing.
Embrace
Best for Discounts Offered
4.7
Learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance Reviews
Embrace Pet Insurance
Embrace pet insurance offers some of the most comprehensive coverage on the market. If you’re looking for true head to nose coverage for your cat, Embrace may be an excellent choice for you. On top of that, it offers a unique Healthy Pet Deductible that will reduce your deductible by $50 for each year that you don’t file a claim, which can save you money in the long run. Currently, Embrace is the only cat insurance company that offers this discount. We also like that it has many positive customer reviews, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and offers discounts for the military and pet owners with multiple pets.
Embrace also offers some coverage for curable pre-existing conditions, which is almost unheard of in the pet insurance industry. Basically, if your cat has a pre-existing condition, such as an ear infection that can be fully cured, and your cat is shown to be symptom-free for a year, then this condition will no longer be considered pre-existing. Since the condition isn’t pre-existing anymore, your cat can receive coverage in the future for this condition through Embrace.
Pros & Cons
Pros “Healthy Pet Deductible” reduces your deductible by $50 each year with no claims Donates $2 to charity for every policy sold Comprehensive coverage for breed-specific and congenital conditions Microchipping and spay/neuter coverage 10% multi-pet discount, 5% military discount Cons Pricier wellness plan option Strict pre-existing condition policy
Plans and Coverage
Embrace’s cat insurance plans average between $15 and $20 per month, making it slightly more expensive than most. However, it also offers more thorough coverage than most pet insurance providers, so this is a tradeoff that you may want to consider for your own peace of mind.
Embrace’s cat insurance plan is an accident and illness plan that offers coverage for things such as medical emergencies, chronic illness care, dental illnesses, prescription medications, rehabilitation, cancer treatments, and more. It’s hard to find a pet insurance provider that offers more coverage for illnesses than Embrace, especially when you consider it offers up to $30,000 in annual reimbursem*nt and up to a 90% reimbursem*nt level for your cat’s claims.
Embrace also offers a comprehensive wellness plan with three different tiers for cats. Each tier gives you a larger annual allowance than the next, which allows you to customize it based on your budget and how much coverage you want for your cat. Here are the three tiers:
- $18.75/month = $250 allowance per policy year
- $35/42/month = $450 allowance per policy year
- $52.09/month = $650 allowance per policy year
Currently, its wellness plans offer coverage for the following:
- Wellness exam fees
- Vaccinations & titers
- Flea, tick, & heartworm preventatives
- Spay/neuter surgery
- Fecal & routine blood tests
- Microchipping
- Nutritional supplements
- Grooming
- Medicated shampoos
- Toenail trimming
- Routine anal gland expression
- Wearable pet activity monitors
- Cremation or burial
- Gastropexy
- Preventative teeth cleaning
- Prescription diet food
- Training
- Routine chiropractic care
- Reiki, massage therapy, acupuncture
- Hip dysplasia exams, radiographs, or other OFA testing
Overall, we love that Embrace has comprehensive coverage that covers your pet for alternative therapies, dental care, prescription medications, prescription pet foods, and much more. Embrace’s coverage won’t leave you wanting more if you’re looking for complete coverage. On the other hand, it does come at a higher cost than many pet insurance providers, so keep that in mind as you weigh your options.
Healthy Paws
Best for Chronic Conditions
4.3
Learn more: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Reviews
Healthy Paws Pet Insurance
Healthy Paws pet insurance is an excellent choice for pet parents looking for pet insurance companies making a difference in the world. Healthy Paws has a huge emphasis on charitable giving and started a foundation in 2009, which has given back over a million dollars as of April 2020. It continues to donate with each pet insurance quote generated and has given to over 300 pet nonprofits to date.
We love that Healthy Paws has unlimited maximum payouts, fast claims processing, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s also underwritten by the Chubb Group, which is an A+ rated insurer that financially backs Healthy Paws. Healthy Paws also has a great mobile app, allowing policyholders to submit claims and receive reimbursem*nt quickly. Healthy Paws can reimburse you as soon as 24 hours after your claim has been processed due to its mobile app. Like most pet insurance providers, Healthy Paws has a 15-day waiting period for accidents and illnesses. It also has a specific 12-month waiting period for ailments related to hip dysplasia, which is something to consider when enrolling with Healthy Paws.
Pros & Cons
Pros Underwritten by the Chubb Group, an A+ rated insurer Has an easy to use mobile app for easy claim submission Unlimited lifetime benefits Donates to over 300 nonprofit pet organizations More affordable than many other options Cons One time customer fee of $25 No wellness plan options
Plans and Coverage
Healthy Paws has a straightforward cat insurance plan that helps keep things simple for cat owners looking for coverage. Its cat insurance plans start at just $8 per month and average $12 per month. All cats need to be signed up with a Healthy Paws pet insurance plan by their 14th birthday to be eligible for coverage.
Healthy Paws’ pet insurance plan will cover accidents and illnesses, such as hereditary conditions, cancer, diagnostic tests, emergency care, alternative treatments, surgery, X-rays, and more. At this time, Healthy Paws does not offer an accident-only plan, so your only choice is its accident and illness coverage. However, we do like that its plans are very affordable compared to other options.
Like all pet insurance providers, Healthy Paws’ plan will not cover pre-existing conditions. It also won’t cover any type of routine veterinary care because Healthy Paws does not offer a wellness plan or preventative care package. Unlike most of its competitors, Healthy Paws offers no wellness coverage or add-on to help with your cat’s regular veterinary care costs. Depending on what you are looking for, this can be a significant disadvantage to going with Healthy Paws over another provider.
Customizable coverage options:
Cats 5 years and under:
- 90, 80, and 70% reimbursem*nt
- $100, $250, and $500 deductible
Cats 6 and 7 years old:
- 80, 70, or 60% reimbursem*nt
- $250, $500, or $750 deductible
Cats 8 years and older:
- 50 or 60% reimbursem*nt
- $750 or $1,000 deductible
As a whole, Healthy Paws offers a great accident and illness plan at an excellent price point. However, it falls short when it comes to wellness plans or offering an accident-only plan. We also don’t love that its deductibles go up and its reimbursem*nt percentages go down as your pet ages because this means that you’ll receive less money back for your older pet’s claims.
Prudent Pet
Best for dog and cat parents who want basic options
4
Learn more: Prudent Pet Insurance Reviews
Prudent Pet Insurance
One of our favorite aspects of Prudent Pet’s coverage is that it offers an ultimate plan, which features unlimited annual coverage. If its ultimate plan is more than you’re looking for, Prudent Pet also offers an accident-only insurance plan and a less extensive accident and illness pet insurance plan, which are more affordable options. In addition to its great customization, Prudent Pet also has a high customer satisfaction rating and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Trustpilot has even ranked it as the number one pet insurance provider.
Like Lemonade, Prudent Pet processes its pet insurance claims with artificial intelligence, so its claim processing is faster than average. You can also choose to be reimbursed through a check or direct deposit.
Overall, Prudent Pet is one of our favorite pet insurance companies when it comes to thorough coverage, an unlimited annual coverage cap, and unique coverage. It also covers things that most pet insurance providers don’t, such as advertising and reward money for a lost pet or money for vacation cancellation fees, such as boarding fees, if your cat is injured or becomes ill.
Pros & Cons
Pros No maximum age cap All online agents and customer service representatives are licensed former vet techs Reimbursem*nt for posted rewards and advertising efforts for stolen or lost pets Unlimited annual payout option available Policyholders are entitled to a 30-day money-back guarantee Cons Pricier monthly premiums No available mobile app
Plans and Coverage
Prudent Pet offers three primary accident and accident and illness cat insurance plans.
Accident-Only Plan: Prudent’s accident-only cat insurance plan will cover your cat for up to $10,000 annually. Accident-only plans will provide you with coverage for accidents such as broken bones, poisoning, swallowed items, bite wounds, tooth injuries, and more.
Essential Plan: Prudent’s Essential Plan is an accident and illness plan that provides your cat with coverage for everything in the accident-only cat insurance plan and developed illnesses. This could include illnesses such as diabetes, hip dysplasia, digestive diseases, cancer, stomachaches, infections, and more. Please keep in mind that this will not cover your cat for any pre-existing health conditions that it had before the waiting period was over and your insurance policy became active.
Ultimate Plan: Prudent Pet’s ultimate plan has unlimited annual coverage and even offers reimbursem*nt for advertising and reward money if you lose your cat. Other extras include boarding kennel fees, vacation cancellation fees, and mortality costs. Everything in the Essential plan is also covered within this plan.
In addition to these plans, Prudent Pet also offers a comprehensive wellness plan which helps with routine care costs for cats. Its wellness plan offerings come in low, medium, and high tiers depending on the amount of coverage you want, which will cost anywhere from $7.95, $13.95, or $19.95, respectively.
The following are included in Prudent’s wellness plans (depending on the tier you choose):
- Wellness checkups (up to two per policy)
- Rabies vaccine
- DHLPP vaccine
- Bordetella or Lyme Disease vaccine
- Heartworm test or FELV screen
- Fecal exam
- Wellness blood screen
- Health certificate
- Microchip
- Deworming
- Dental cleaning or spay/neuter
Overall, we like that Prudent Pet offers so many types of plans at a wide range of prices, making its plans more attainable for more pet parents. We don’t like that its plans all have set coverage limits. However, Prudent’s unlimited coverage plan is a significant benefit for pet owners looking to cover their pets thoroughly.
What is Cat Insurance?
Cat insurance is pet insurance that protects your cat in the case of a medical emergency. Emergency vet bills or ongoing care for chronic illnesses and conditions can be costly. Some reports even say that the average cost of unexpected veterinary care for cats and dogs is around $800 to $1,500. Cat insurance allows you to always provide your cat with the best veterinary care without worrying about the cost.
Simply take your cat to any licensed veterinarian and have it treated. Then submit your claim directly to your cat insurance provider. Once the claim has been processed and approved, your provider will reimburse you for the agreed-upon percentage in your policy, which is often between 60 and 90% of the total vet bill.
Cat insurance provides you with peace of mind that you won’t ever need to pass up critical care for your cat or put yourself into debt paying for important medical treatments. Depending on your policy, you can choose cat insurance for accidents, illnesses, routine veterinary care, or all three to give yourself the ultimate financial safety net.
How To Find the Best Cat Insurance for You
Before choosing a cat insurance provider, we recommend thinking about the type of coverage you’re interested in getting for your cat. Most providers offer three primary types of pet insurance plans:
Accident-only
- Accident-only plans offer coverage for injuries and emergencies related to accidents. This can include incidents such as broken bones, snake bites, ingested foreign objects, and more. This plan type will not cover any costs for treatments related to illnesses.
Accident and illness
- Accident and illness plans will cover many veterinary costs related to accidents and diseases, including things like broken bones, diabetes, cancer, infections, and more. This plan will not include pre-existing illnesses or conditions that your pet has.
Wellness plans
- Some pet insurance providers offer wellness or preventative care plans that cover routine veterinary care, such as wellness exams, vaccinations, regular blood work, urinalysis, and more. Wellness plans are typically an add-on fee to your existing accident or accident and illness plan with the provider.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Cat Insurance
Reimbursem*nt time
- Before selecting a pet insurance provider, consider how long a pet insurance company will take to reimburse you for your claim. Some companies have mobile apps that process claims with artificial intelligence, which will help reduce the waiting time. If being repaid quickly is very important to you, make sure that you consider this before picking a provider.
Maximum limits
- Different pet insurance providers and plans have different maximum limits. A maximum limit for the year will determine the maximum a company will pay within one year. A maximum lifetime limit defines how much a company will pay out within your pet’s lifetime. If you are concerned with being covered for huge emergencies or chronic illnesses your cat may develop, a low maximum limit may be something you want to avoid. We recommend looking for companies that offer unlimited maximum limits if you are concerned about this.
Communication methods
- Before enrolling with a pet insurance provider, consider your preferred communication method. If you like talking on the phone or using an app, look for companies that offer this form of communication. Some companies only provide an online interface which may not suit you if you prefer speaking with someone directly.
Customization
- Most pet insurance companies offer various customization options for their pet insurance plans, including personalized deductibles, reimbursem*nt rates, maximum limits, and more. Some companies also offer discounts, such as multi-pet, military, or employee discounts.
All of the cat insurance providers in this article offer free personalized quotes so that you will know exactly how much your cat’s monthly premium will cost. We recommend gathering several quotes before choosing a cat insurance provider. Your cat’s age, health, and location will affect the cost, and comparing prices between providers can help you narrow down your choices.
Final Thoughts
We hope our article helps you choose the best cat insurance plan for you and your cat. Cat insurance is a highly personal choice that can provide you with a wide variety of coverage for accidents, accidents and illnesses, and wellness care.
We at Quartz hope you find the best cat insurance plan that provides you with plenty of value and the right amount of coverage for your cat. Peace of mind is a valuable side effect of having a cat insurance plan in place. Just knowing that your cat is covered can help you rest easy, knowing that you will never need to turn down necessary medical treatment for your furry friend.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average monthly premium for the best cat insurance?
Most cat insurance plans are between $15 and $20 per month, not including the cost of any wellness or preventative care plan add-ons. Most wellness plan add-ons will cost between $10 and $25 per month, depending on the type of plan and coverage offered. Please remember that these numbers will vary depending on your cat’s age, breed, health, and location.
What are some things that are covered by cat insurance?
Cat insurance can cover many veterinary expenses, ranging from accidents to illnesses to routine veterinary care. Depending on the type of plan you choose, your cat can be covered for chronic conditions, hereditary conditions, congenital diseases, allergies, prescription medications, prescription pet food, and more. Pet insurance will cover the cost of treatment for different accidents and conditions and the costs of diagnosis, such as X-rays, bloodwork, urinalysis, physical exams, scans, and more. Wellness plans can cover your cat for routine veterinary care, such as regular wellness exams, bloodwork, vaccinations, and more.
What are some things that are not covered by cat insurance?
Pre-existing conditions are never included in any pet insurance plans. So, if your cat has allergies before you enroll it in a pet insurance plan, then your cat insurance plan will not cover any allergy-related costs since these were pre-existing. This is one of the reasons that it’s recommended that you enroll your cat in pet insurance as early as possible since your cat will have less time to develop pre-existing conditions or have an accident. Other standard exclusions include breeding or pregnancy-related costs, behavioral issues, and cosmetic or elective procedures
Why do cat insurance rates increase over time?
Cat insurance premiums go up over time to account for the increasing cost of veterinary care. With technological advances, vets are using newer and better technology to treat our pets, which is terrific, but can be more expensive to operate with. Cat insurance premiums will also increase as your cat ages because your cat’s chances of having greater or more frequent health problems increases. This increase allows your pet insurance provider to continue reimbursing you for your cat’s health claims throughout its entire lifetime.
When should I sign up my cat for cat insurance?
We recommend signing your cat up for cat insurance as early as possible. The sooner it’s protected on a pet insurance plan, the sooner you can rest easy knowing that any accidents or illnesses it has will be covered. You also won’t have to worry about pre-existing conditions that won’t be covered if you sign it up when it’s young and healthy. Even if your cat has a health problem already, it will still be covered for other conditions it develops or accidents it has. It may seem like a waste to sign up your kitten, but it is just as prone to having dangerous accidents and can still become sick from a young age.
How do I get reimbursed for a vet bill?
Simply take your cat to any licensed veterinarian and submit your claim. Depending on your provider, you can submit your claim through its mobile app, online member center, or through the mail. Then, you’ll wait for your provider to approve the claim. Once approved, it will reimburse you for the allocated amount in your pet insurance policy through direct deposit or check.
Our Methodology
Here at Quartz, our research team looks to examine all pet insurance policies and comes up with reviews based on:
- Coverage
- Plan options
- Cost
- Reputation
- Customer service
- Species available
- Wellness benefits
We’ve created a 5-star rating system to score pet insurance brands based on a 100-point scale. To develop a list of the best pet insurance plans, we looked into plans, rating coverage, claims handling, reimbursem*nts, deductibles, and limitations.Each factor is weighted differently based on the following factors:
- Monthly Pricing (25 points): How each pet insurance company charges for their plans is a crucial part of the decision-making process of the customer. Affordable rates and comprehensive coverage are the defining characteristics of providing the best pet insurance.
- Coverage (20 points): We scored companies based on the treatments and procedures they cover. Providers offering broader coverage and more unique treatments received more points. Pet insurance policies are not offered by all companies for older pets. Providers who have an age limit on the pets they cover were deducted points.
- Plans (15 points): Pet insurance providers offer accident-and-illness plans, accident-only plans, wellness add-ons, and pet preventive care add-ons, so customers can choose the right plan for their pets. We also factored in costs to achieve the most comprehensible review for your pet’s needs.
- Customization Options (10 points): You can ensure your pet only gets what they need by customizing your policy. A higher score was earned by providers who offered a greater range of annual limits, deductibles, and reimbursem*nt rates.
- Customer Service (10 points): We scored companies based on their website accessibility and usability, mobile apps, and grating points to companies with the most customer experience options.
- Industry Reputation (10 points): We assessed each company’s industry reputation by reviewing up-to-date BBB ratings and accreditation information, as well as their years of experience in the industry.
- Waiting Periods (10 points): Companies with shorter accident and illness waiting periods scored higher than companies with longer waiting periods.
Our team revisits each company’s information at the end of every month to make updates and ensure the information is as accurate as possible.
