Do you have a plan for what will happen if your cat has expensive health issues? I was faced with this in the past few weeks.
One Sick Cat
First, Pierre got sick. He was really sick, and he had to be hospitalized. The day he was hospitalized, the first treatment plan I signed to approve was over $800. Then the vet brought me an updated treatment plan with additional tests for $1200. The final bill for just that day while he was hospitalized at the vet on IV and running tests was over $1400. It was scary to worry about him, and also scary to know how fast we were running up bills trying to help him get better.
That wasn’t his only vet visit that week. Pierre was actually at the vet four days that week, for diagnostics, supportive treatments, and medication. Plus there were two visits to an outside pharmacy to get medicine that we could get him to take.
Another Sick Cat
About the time Pierre started feeling a little better, Cupcake stopped eating. Then she started throwing up.
There was nothing sadder than seeing Cupcake looking miserable under the kitchen table while we prepped breakfast for the cats. That’s the time of day when she would normally be “helping,” but instead she just sat under one of the kitchen chairs, and then she refused to eat. There was obviously something really wrong. So back to the vet we went.
With Cupcake, we jumped right to diagnostics to try to figure out what kind of bug the cats were transmitting. The last thing we needed was Cupcake passing this around any further. The idea of medicating Ashton when she won’t eat pill pockets is kind of terrifying, so the sick cat merry-go-round needed to stop before it got to Ashton.
That resulted in lots of medications for Cupcake’s symptoms, but frustratingly, we got no real diagnosis of the root cause of the problem. At a year old, Cupcake bounced back pretty fast. Much faster than Pierre, who is nearly 14. So she didn’t need as much help as he did. She felt better after only a couple days of medication, and she was soon trying to steal treats from Pierre while he had sub-q fluids administered at home.
After over a week without yet another cat having to visit the vet, I think we can safely say that this outbreak of whatever it is has finally left the building.
Pet Insurance
When all was said and done, between Cupcake and Pierre, we ran up $2703 in vet bills in 8 days. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that we have pet insurance. Some people think pet insurance is something you have to start when a cat is young, but that isn’t necessarily true. I enrolled Pierre when he was 12 years old, but while he was still healthy and had no major illnesses. As a result, I was able to say “do whatever you need to do for him” without wondering how I would pay for his treatment.
That’s why I have insurance. It isn’t because I expect to get every nickel back that I paid in premiums. I would rather have a cat who is so healthy that we never have to use the insurance so I “lose money” on it. For me, it’s peace of mind that I can authorize necessary treatment rather than choosing not to treat for financial reasons.
When all was said and done, insurance reimbursed roughly half of those vet bills, over $1300. I chose insurance plans for both Cupcake and Pierre with $500 deductibles, so most of what I wasn’t reimbursed was their deductibles. I could have chosen a smaller deductible when I signed them up for insurance, but I never expected they would both be sick the same week!
Vet Emergency Fund
Insurance isn’t the only way to go, of course. Even if you have insurance, it’s a good idea to set up a savings account to cover vet bills and contribute to it regularly. It takes time to accumulate savings so you should start as early as possible.
Since it takes time to accumulate savings, an unexpected veterinary bill soon after you start it can overcome the savings you have begun to collect. Young, healthy cats are your best chance to build savings against future vet bills.
Regardless of the way you prepare yourself for future vet bills, the important thing is to have a plan ahead of time. The past few weeks have proven to me that you’ll be grateful to your past self for the planning ahead when you’re in the middle of a crisis.
Summer says
My human needs to get more organized about this. She can take care of our expenses if something big happens, but it isn’t without a lot of stress. I’m 4 – insurance for me wouldn’t be that expensive.
Brian Frum says
We can so relate, the bills are mounting up here.
The Island Cat says
After the last year and a half where we’ve incurred vet bills high enough to purchase a small car, the mom wishes we had insurance. But with us, it’s not feasible now. Next time she’s definitely going to get it.
The Florida Furkids says
Mom has thought about it for us too. Even one small visit to the vet for Allie last week cost lots of green papers.
The Florida Furkids
Kristine, servant of Felix cat says
Thank you for sharing your experiences. When Felix joined us, pet insurance was not as comprehensive then. Something to think about hopefully in the very far off future!
Seville at Nerissa's Life says
Yup, those doctor costs can add up. Remember when Nissy had to have his bionic knee implants? MOUSES! And then, last year, if you can believe it, Andy had a dental issue that cost nearly as much. MOUSES!!!
Random Felines says
always a good plan. everyone here is at a stage where it would be feasible….just gotta do it (though with current plumbing expenses it may not be immediate)
The Menagerie Mom says
First of all, I am so glad Pierre and Cupcake are doing better, and that Ashton steered clear of the sickness!
I have considered getting pet insurance many times, but shame on me, I just haven’t done it yet. I won’t lie, researching all of the plans has left me feeling overwhelmed so many times. That’s probably why I approach this issue in more of the veterinary emergency fund way. Luckily, I’m one of those people who really dislikes shopping, and so I have always been one to put any spare money I have into savings. I pretty much reserve my savings account for emergencies, most certainly including my furbabies’ emergencies. Last year, when pup Astrid was discovered to have a malignant tumor on her toe, she underwent 2 surgeries and at least half a dozen followup appointments. The total for all of that was something like $3,000. I was so glad I had been saving money for many years, as otherwise I would have been scrambling. Then again, that whole ordeal also got me thinking again that I probably really should get pet insurance.
Thank you for this very significant, informational post!
Holly says
I have looked into insurance on and off but it ended up not being affordable to insure all 12. I need to think about enrolling at least the young ones. Sadly the ones that need it most I probably couldn’t get even though it’s been over 5 years for one and 2 for the other since their problems flared up.
Kitties Blue says
Pet Insurance has never really been an option for us. We cannot afford to insure all eight cats and so if we decide to insure just some of them, which ones do we choose. And, of course, there is no way to assure those are the ones to get sick. We’ve been lucky through the years Prior to Fiona with kidney disease and Sawyer with seizures, we’ve only ever had two other cats out of the entire 19 who required expensive medical care. I am so happy this worked out for you. You might want to get everyone on probiotics if they aren’t already. Did you ever find out what was wrong with Pierre. Sending lots of purrs and prayers to the kitties.
Memories of Eric and Flynn says
I used to insure Eric and Flynn, but when they reached 8 the premium more than doubled even though I had never claimed on it.
I didn’t renew it but opened a separate savings account with an equivalent amount to what I would have paid.
da tabbies o trout towne says
guyz….sorree bout de tripz two de ewe noe wear place.. we send st francis’
blessingz for healtheez N hope what ever waz in de buildin…left…N doez knot come
bak ~~~~~~~♥♥
Colehaus Cats says
We are very happy to hear Pierre and Cupcake are feeling better and Ashton didn’t have to get medication! Thank you for sharing this post! Hardly anyone here like pill pockets, butter (??), or cheese so most of the time, medicating anyone with pills is a struggle at best (we get almost everything in liquid form, now).
We’re in the same boat as Kitties Blue – insurance for 8 cats is out of our ballpark, and if to insure a few, who do we pick over the others? We did finally start up a cats only savings account in 2016 and was able to get angel Zuzu’s final expenses paid last September, with help from a dear friend of Colehaus, before Quint racked up $1450 in February for his emergency vet stay. We always seem to have only one or two cats who rack up the vet expenses, and we are thankful for that, and for the good health of the rest, as well as the great treatment we have access to where we live, which wasn’t the case a decade ago.
We love the thought of pet insurance available now, but if one can’t afford that, please do try hard to put away a little each paycheck toward that future when a loved one needs it most.
The Swiss Cats says
We’re glad to hear that Pierre and Cupcake are feeling better ! We both have an insurance since we were 4 months old (similar to you – 500 CHF deductibles), and as you say, it’s peace of mind. When Angel Loupi had his accident, Claire didn’t have to worry about being able to do the best for him. Purrs
Eastside Cats says
What is wrong with Pierre? The Hubby and I have discussed pet insurance, but we hate paying insurance premiums, and will just face the big bill. I will do anything for my kitties!
Mary McNeil says
A very wise post – but I can’t afford to insure all my furkids and most are in the 6-7-8- year old range. I have Care Credit (using the six-month payoff no interest option as much as I can !) It is definitely a dilemma !
Melissa & Mudpie says
Fabulous post, and I’m so glad everyone is feeling better. When Tara was being treated for diabetes, heart failure and possible cancer, I never dared to calculate her bills over a 2 year period. I’m just thankful I was able to do it, and my parents would be able to help me if need be. Then in one night at the ER Truffles bill was $1000, and I didn’t even get to bring her home. Yes, Mudpie is most definitely insured. The peace of mind is priceless.
Cathy Keisha says
Poor CC and Pierre. TW keeps thinking about pet insurance but isn’t sure if the premiums will fit into our tight budget. Of course, me getting sick would prolly be a death sentence since a) they can’t afford large medican bills and b) I won’t take any meds and definitely wouldn’t allow fluids and stuff.
mommakatandherbearcat says
We’re glad Pierre and Cupcake are feeling better and the other cats didn’t get sick! I never thought about a savings account instead of insurance. I can’t imagine getting to a point where I couldn’t give my cats the best – no matter the cost. Ellie’s been pretty expensive in the year we had her – mostly from worms. It adds up, especially when you treat both cats as a precaution!
Three Chatty Cats says
We had vet insurance for our first three cats for two or three years and of course never used it once. I stopped it when we adopted our fourth cat. And now we have five cats. And of course THIS is the year with all the vet bills! 🙂