Looking for a pet insurance plan that costs less for cats and includes day-to-day benefits? Well, here’s your answer…
Is it worth it to insure the health of your cat?
This is a common question asked by cat owners around the world. When it comes to pet insurance, many cat owners feel that their feline friends have fewer risks of getting into accidents than their canine counterparts.
Cats are not as clumsy as dogs, they tend to always land on their feet, they sleep most of the day, and they don’t really get themselves into trouble all too often. So, why does it make financial sense to insure the health of your cat?
For starters, here are some fast facts about cat health:
- Cats can still develop chronic and expensive-to-treat medical issues.
- Kidney failure is common in older cats.
- Cancer is a common health risk among cats.
- Cats still have a risk of getting into accidents (getting hit by a car or getting into a fight with another cat or animal).
- Cats are naturally curious and can get themselves in trouble.
- Cats do not always land on their feet.
Pet insurance is something that can give you financial protection against unexpected vet bills and in the case of pet plans that include vet visits and routine care costs. Having plans such as these will encourage preventive healthcare and regular vet visits.
The bottom line is that pet insurance saves you money and makes it easier to care for your pet.
The best pet insurance versus the cheapest
It’s common for pet owners to want to choose the cheapest plan available when it comes to pet insurance. But if your reason for doing this is to try and save money, then you are going to get a nasty wake-up call when you realise that choosing the cheapest option means your insurer pays you less when it comes time to claim.
As any pet owner knows, veterinary care is expensive. And whilst pet insurance was created to help pet owners afford costly vet bills, in many cases, the cheapest plan is rarely the best plan.
In any case, the one important thing that potential pet insurance policyholders need to keep in mind is that cheaper is not always better. The cheaper the plan, the more you have to pay when you claim. It’s as simple as that.
The best pet insurance for cats
When you realise that cat health insurance is an investment and financial protection in the case of a pet healthcare emergency, then it becomes less of a question as to whether or not you should consider purchasing a policy, and more of a question as to what pet insurer and plan is best for your feline friend.
Besides the common benefits of illness and accident coverage, a number of pet insurance providers also offer wellness plans and day-to-day benefits such as vet visits and routine healthcare. This means that you can focus on your cat’s well-being and not your bank account.
With the growing number of pet insurers out there, it can become a little daunting to try and find one that is best suited to your budget and your cat’s health.
This is why we decided to do the research to find an insurer that offers you the best of emergency pet care and day-to-day coverage.
So, without further ado, the best cat insurance company is….
Oneplan Pet Insurance
Now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, then you will know that Oneplan is our go-to insurer for a number of reasons:
- Go to ANY vet of your choice.
- Fronted with cash before you see your vet of choice.
- Range of day-to-day benefits included in their top two plans.
- Their pet accident plan does not have an age limit.
- Highest annual benefit when compared to other insurers, which means they pay you more when it comes time to claim.
- Cover for pre-existing conditions.
Just when we didn’t think it could get any better, Oneplan recently changed their routine care benefit to be more inclusive of routine healthcare costs.
Excess Buster Benefit
Oneplan has a unique product known as an Excess Buster. Having this product will help cover the excess charged by them for a claim – meaning you could save thousands in pet medical bills.
Routine care PLUS (includes the Excess Buster)
For an extra cost per month, Oneplan will issue an additional routine care benefit amount after a 6-month waiting period (which is 6 months of successful premiums paid to them).
This additional amount (equal to your routine care benefit outlined in your plan) will only become available after 6 premiums have been paid.
This means that this benefit works on its own inception date. For example, if you take out the benefit in March, you will pay your monthly premiums every month and will get your new benefit every September.
This cost also includes the Excess Buster benefit.
Cheaper pet insurance for cats compared to dogs
Oneplan understands that cats are less of an insurance risk, which is why they charge you less to insure the health of your cat compared to a dog.
How much does cat insurance cost?
Pet Accident Plan – R60 per month (no age limit for this plan)
Pet Hospital Plan – R140 per month
Pet Classic Plan – R278 per month (includes cover for vet visits and routine care)
Pet Super Plan – R410 per month (includes cover for vet visits and routine care)
Where to from here?
If you want to know more about Oneplan Pet Insurance, check out their range of pet insurance plans.
Until next time,
The petinsurance.co.za Team