Insuring a kitten

"My cat stays indoors"

Indoor living reduces some risks — road traffic accidents, fights, some infectious disease — and it does nothing about the illnesses that generate most claims in cats over a lifetime.

Urinary conditions, kidney disease, dental disease, thyroid problems, diabetes and cancer are not outdoor risks. Indoor cats also swallow things, fall, and have accidents at home.

So indoor living is a good reason for a lower premium in some insurers' rating, and not a reason to skip coverage.

First fortnight checklist

• Enrol before the first vet visit if possible
• Choose accident and illness rather than accident-only
• Check that hereditary and congenital conditions are covered
• Ask specifically about dental illness coverage and any routine care requirement
• Set an annual limit sized for a serious event
• Read whatever records came from the breeder or shelter

Dental is worth attention early

Dental disease is common in adult cats, and treatment under anaesthesia isn't cheap. Plans differ substantially on whether dental illness is covered and whether they require documented routine dental care.

It's also a category that becomes pre-existing very easily, from a note about tartar at a routine visit. Sorting it while a kitten's record is blank is the only reliable approach.

A shelter or rescue kitten

Records may be thin or absent, and anything noted before you took the animal home can still count. Get whatever exists and read it.

If a condition was treated at the shelter, ask the insurer how they'd treat it before enrolling — some plans distinguish curable pre-existing conditions after a symptom-free period, and the terms vary.

Two cats

Ask about multi-pet discounts, which most insurers offer and few volunteer. Also check whether each animal needs its own deductible and limit, since that affects the real cost of insuring two.