Insuring the health of your older cat is not only a responsible decision to make but one that will save you from the financial stress associated with increased vet bills as your pet ages.

It is often a difficult thing to watch your pet age, especially since our pets grow older at a much quicker rate than we do.

In fact, cats are considered to reach an older life stage when they are only 7 years old, meaning when they are 7, this is the same as 45 human years (give or take a few years).

Here’s why it makes sense to insure the health of your elderly cat...

Vet bills and visits increase as your pet gets older

Your vet will base their diagnostic and treatment procedures on your cat’s life stage. As your cat ages, internal changes will take place which can be challenging to notice as a pet parent.

Age-related appearance changes include growths, grey hair, weight loss and possible behavioural changes as your cat will not have the youthful energy he or she once had.

As a pet parent, it’s difficult to know when your pet is unwell which is why routine healthcare and regular vet visits are vital to ensure your vet is able to detect and treat any health concerns before they develop into major issues (and more expensive ones too!).

With this increase in vet visits, comes more vet bills, which means more of a financial implication on your part.

And, as your pet gets older, your vet will have to take special precautions and care when diagnosing and treating health concerns, which only adds to the expenses.

Not having pet insurance will result in a number of vet bills that come out of your own pocket as your pet ages. 

The cost of vet bills

Many pet parents fail to see how much money pet insurance can save them. This is because they do not look at the bigger picture when taking not only routine care but emergency care costs into account.

The average vet visit costs R350. If any medication is required, then this will be an additional cost. Emergency vet bills can start at R10 000 and skyrocket to R60 000. Do you have that kind of cash lying around? And don’t forget, specialist care is needed when dealing with an older pet, meaning higher bills.

Pre-existing conditions and older cats

You might pin your reason for not having pet insurance down to the fact that your cat is already sick and you believe that pet insurance will not cover these costs of a pre-existing condition.

And you’re right. Not all pet insurers will include cover for diseases that began or showed symptoms before your coverage started.

But with Oneplan Pet Insurance, they will cover pre-existing conditions after a 12 month waiting period has passed.

Don’t forget that while this might seem like a long time to wait, the costs of chronic medication and treating pre-existing conditions will soon start to add up over the years. Which is why it makes sense to have pet insurance that covers these costs (Did I mention that Oneplan also includes cover for scripted medication?).

What is the best kind of pet insurance cover for my older cat?

After reading some of the above points, you might start to realise how pet insurance makes financial sense, even for older cats.

As mentioned, older cats are more likely to suffer from serious medical conditions and require regular vet visits.

When it comes to choosing the right pet insurance plan, some cover is better than no cover at all. And you will want to choose a plan that not only suits your pet’s healthcare needs but your budget too. But keep in mind that you might opt for a more comprehensive pet insurance plan that includes extensive cover for vet visits, routine care and accidents and emergencies. 

How old is ‘too old’ for pet insurance?

Every pet insurer will have a different age limit for their policies.

When signing up with Oneplan, your cat cannot be older than 8 years of age (meaning the next birthday he will turn 9), and the minimum age your cat must be is 8 weeks old.

However, if your cat is too old for pet insurance, then have a look at Oneplan’s Accident Plan. There are no age limits that apply to this plan and for a minimum premium cost, you will get cover for accidents and emergencies (the events you don’t see coming).

The bottom line

When your cat gets older, you will want to spend as much time together and ensure he or she lives out their days in a healthy and happy state. The last thing you want is credit card debt as a result of unexpected (and expected) vet bills.

Pet insurance will not only give you the peace of mind you need, but it will help cover the costs of vital healthcare for your cat.

Until next time,

The Pet Insurance Team