Cat Insurance With Maximum Care Reimbursed
When you want to find a health insurance plan for your catit is necessary to take into account all the risks which the animal is confronted with, both in terms of accidents that of diseases.
Indeed, they are linked to his age, to his race, but also to his way of life. But great importance must also be given to the reimbursement rates and ceiling, the amount of the deductible and many other points that affect the amount paid by the animal health mutual. Here is everything you need to know to take out a contract that reimburses a maximum of veterinary acts and therefore allows the cat to be very well cared for without it costing his master a fortune.
Choose A Formula Adapted To The Profile Of Your Cat
In order not to have to hesitate to have your cat treated, it is essential to be reimbursed as best as possible for veterinary procedures. It is therefore necessary to anticipate and for that, it is necessary assess the risks involved by his little ball of fur. To do this, the following points must be seriously considered.
The Age Of The Cat
The cats most exposed to the risk of accidents and illnesses are kittens, tomcats and unsterilized adult females as well as older cats.
THE kittens are true explorers of the world around them. At a few weeks already, they grow bolder but are completely unaware of the risks to which they are exposed. This is all the more dangerous when they live in an apartment that is several floors above ground level and has a balcony. The risks of falls are not to be neglected. These kitties are also particularly exposed if their place of life is located near a busy road.
As for those who can freely access the garden, they are no better off. Climbing trees or on the roof of the shed, biting the plants we grow, licking dangerous phytosanitary products are all opportunities that expose kittens to accidents and serious poisoning but also to parasites, diarrhea…
THE unsterilized adult cats are, for their part, customary fights between cats and risk contacts. There are countless cases of severe bites and scratches leading to serious injuries (particularly at the level of the cornea), the diseases that they are transmitted by saliva, blood, tear secretions, sexual contact, unwanted litters…
As to senior cats, if they are generally calmer and more at home than their young congeners, they are not spared either. Many pathologies are especially common in older kitties. Gingivitis, anorexia, typhus, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, coryza, kidney and urinary diseases, skin tumours, cancers…
The Breed Of The Cat
It is proven that the purebred cats have more predisposition to certain diseases than alley cats or cross cats, that is to say of the European type. These are the result of mixing sometimes for generations, which gives them greater resistance.
The most vulnerable are therefore purebred cats or LOOF cats and each breed is more exposed than the others to a specific genetic or hereditary disease such as glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD-IV), polycystic kidney disease (PKD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)…
Purebred cats classified in the hyper types as is the case with brachycephalic cats, are well known for the pathological risks they cannot escape. The distinctive traits of these feline breeds being accentuated to the extreme due to drastic selections generation after generation, the repercussions on the health of these animals are very serious.
It should also be noted that the long haired cats very often they are purebred cats, are very prone to trichobezoar. They ingest a lot of hair while grooming. Hairballs form in the stomach or in the intestine of these small felines and lead to vomiting, constipation, anorexia, distension of the abdomen, and even intestinal obstruction.
The Cat’S Way Of Life
Differences exist between city cats and country cats, or more exactly between indoor kitties and those who spend a lot of time outdoors.
On the one hand, cats that go out less are less likely to be contaminated by their congeners, to be knocked over by a car or to chew on toxic plants (although houseplants are often dangerous for kitties). They are on the other hand less active and therefore highly exposed to obesity because they do not exert themselves enough and the risk is all the more increased if their diet is not balanced. That’s not counting the depressed and the depression faced by house cats due to boredom and loneliness.
Contrary to what many masters think, it is not because their cat spends its life between the living room and the bedroom that it will live happier and healthier than a cat enjoying the outdoors every day. However, they face different risks.
Choose a formula according to the profile of your cat to be reimbursed for maximum care
To can take care of your cat’s health throughout its life, taking into account its vulnerability, it is necessary to assess the risks in order to choose the formula best suited to its case. This is essential so that the remaining charge, namely the part not reimbursed by the mutual health insurance for animals, is as low as possible.
Insurers offer many solutions and it is not easy to navigate. In addition to taking into account the needs of his kitty according to his age, his race, his way of life, his breeder must also study the formulas proposed in order to compare to find the one that best covers your animal and offers the best level of reimbursement. To do this, he must pay great attention to the following points.
The Reimbursement Rate
When comparing different health insurance formulas for your cat, you must check the reimbursement rate, which varies from 50% for an entry-level contract at 90 or even 100% for a high-end contract. It’s about compensation coefficient. The actual costs are therefore reimbursed up to the rate indicated in the contract, but within the limit of an annual reimbursement ceiling.
The Annual Reimbursement Ceiling
This is the amount of maximum reimbursement that the member can collect for his veterinary expenses. We are talking about a calendar year, that is to say the 1er January to December 31. This is a very important selection criterion when you want to insure your cat. The higher this ceiling, the more the master can be reimbursed for maximum care. It therefore varies according to the contract but also to the insurer, generally from 600 to 2,800 €and can even be much more substantial, but it’s still quite exceptional.
Better to opt for a formula that guarantees a reimbursement limit as high as possible because veterinary prices are very high. The slightest health problem can require a substantial budget, especially if the cat is seriously injured or suffers from a serious illness. Between consultations, treatments, examinations of all kinds, hospitalization, surgery, physiotherapy or even chemotherapy, the bill can reach peaks in extremely serious cases that require complex and long-term care.
A formula with a reimbursement rate of 100% and an annual reimbursement ceiling of €2,800 or more makes it possible to care for your cat with peace of mind.
However, it is possible to choose an offer with a lower reimbursement ceiling to cover a common cat, a young adult in good shape, and allow yourself the possibility of change your contract over time. Veterinary expenses can indeed increase considerably with the advance in age of the animal hitherto in excellent health, exceeding the reimbursement ceiling set at the start.
For get better support expenses incurred, the master has the option of asking the insurer to increase the annual reimbursement ceiling. This of course leads to an increase in the price of the insurance policy. But beware, a company can reserve the right not to accept this request. It is therefore essential to read the general conditions carefully before subscribing and to check to what extent the annual reimbursement ceiling can be modified.
The Amount Of The Annual Deductible
It’s about a sum mentioned in the contract which is deducted from the reimbursement request. It can be stated as a percentage but most of the time, for health formulas for cats and other pets, it is an amount in euros. Deductible may vary from 20 to 150 €. The amount it represents therefore remains the responsibility of the animal’s master.
Be careful when taking out a health formula for your cat: some insurance companies apply a evolving franchise. This means that each year its amount increases, as the animal ages. On the other hand, there are more and more insurers offering cat health insurance without deductible which is what more and more masters are looking for.
The Prevention Package
It is generally included in mid-range and high-end contracts, but for a few euros more, it is possible to integrate it into a basic formula, at least with some insurers.
This prevention package is very useful for be even better reimbursed veterinary acts. This is a annual amount assigned to at least partially cover preventive actions such as vaccination, sterilization, deworming, eye lotions, therapeutic foods, alternative medicine, etc. Each insurer concocts its prevention package as it sees fit. It is therefore necessary to inquire beforehand in order to compare the offers.
The Waiting Period
It’s here latency period during which the animal is not yet covered by health insurance. The waiting period varies from one insurer to another. He can be from a few days to a few months. The contract therefore takes effect at the end of the waiting period. If the cat is injured or falls ill during this latency period, no reimbursement can be made to its master for its veterinary expenses. It is recommended to opt for a formula with the shortest possible waiting period, or even for a contract without waiting period which is ideal for being reimbursed for a maximum of care as soon as you join.
A very well covered cat has easier access to best care as soon as it is necessary, even for a small sore. But we cannot be reimbursed for everything, regardless of the contract chosen. Indeed, the hereditary and genetic diseases are, for the time being, part of systematic exclusions of all cat health insurance plans, regardless of their level of coverage and the insurance company. The best way to be reimbursed as much as possible for care is to insure your cat from the age of 3 months or in any case from the moment of adoption. Thanks to online comparator we can find the ideal formula in a few clicks. It is free and without obligation.