The beloved house cats are the most common pets in German-speaking countries. They are easy to care for, cute, independent and there to cuddle and play with. Keeping a cat causes comparably low costs.
But the cost factor, in contrast to food and toys, can hardly be calculated, especially at the vet. Although the scale of fees for veterinarians (GOT) specifies a cost framework, no one can foresee what your purring darling’s health will be like.
Wondering if you should get health insurance for your cat?
We will give you an answer to that in this article, because the answer to the question «Cat insurance: yes or no?» depends on a number of factors and cannot be answered in general.
Key facts at a glance:
- In addition to food, toys and the cost of care items, illnesses can represent a high financial burden
- With cats, the costs add up because they are usually not kept alone
The future is uncertain
Of course you want your cats to live a healthy and happy life throughout their lives. You and your four-legged friend prefer to go to the vet for claw trimming, vaccinations and routine check-ups, possibly also a castration. You must have informed yourself about this before purchasing and budgeted at least €160.00 per year for two cats. This amount covers flea and tick prevention, routine check-ups and vaccinations.
However, we never know what the future will bring, and as such illnesses can result in high veterinary bills, either permanently or as a one-off. You never know what’s going to happen and we wish you and your four-legged friends all the best. But before you buy cats, you should be aware of the costs that can be incurred.
First things first, cats are solitary, which means they will hunt alone, but should never be kept alone unless they are free roamers. All veterinary expenses can potentially be duplicated.
Two cats are so expensive
If a cat has a gastrointestinal infection, there are at least €50.00 veterinary costs. For many owners, this is an amount that hurts a bit, but is easy to bear. Urinary stone removal becomes more expensive. This treatment by the veterinarian, including anesthesia, costs a one-time fee of over €300.00.
If your cat has an overactive thyroid gland, this will cost you around €300 per year for long-term thyroid medication and regular blood tests. The animal, which can live up to 15 years, can cost you a good €4,500.00 just because of the malfunction of this small organ.
As cats age, they often suffer from kidney disease. Roughly estimated, kidney failure causes veterinary costs of around €600.00 per year.
With all of these items, can you say with a clear conscience that you can pay these costs out of your own pocket with such a high degree of certainty that you will still be able to do so in a few years’ time, and can you potentially cover these costs for both animals and bring up several illnesses, you have to say yes or no to cat insurance, based on your own decision and gut feeling.
Otherwise, you should always take out pet health insurance for your cats.
The cost of cat insurance
Cat insurance is significantly cheaper than dog health insurance. When choosing your cat insurance, pay attention to factors such as reimbursement, operations, the annual limit and the duration of the follow-up treatment covered by the insurance.
At you can choose between two packages. In the surgical cost protection package, medically necessary operations are covered.
The comprehensive full health insurance includes the assumption of costs for all important treatments and operations – including diagnostics, medication and special treatments.