Pet insurance is often regarded as a luxury and with many households looking to cut costs, it may be tempting to cancel the cover you have for your cat or dog. But as anyone who has had to make a claim on a pet insurance policy will know, it’s value can’t be under-estimated. Cat owner and moneysupermarket.com site editor, Clare Francis, looks at some of the things you need to bear in mind...

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Community

In my opinion unless you get lifetime cover for all ailments pet insurance is a total waste of money. I made the mistake of taking out insurance for my dog with direct line. I paid every year for 11 years witrhout a claim. She was fit and healthy until last year when she developed a number of health issues I could only claim the vet fees for each ailment for one year, so I now have to pay a small fortune on the vets bill. As the pet gets older it is more likely that they will have long term health problems the insurance companies know this!!!! so buyer beware.

Yes, Pet Insurance is a complete waste of money as animals are prone to recurring symptoms. It's a bit like taking out an insurance for a human, the common cold, only being able to claim once. Pointless.

The policy is not totally useless however and has it's benefit, but not far off it. The small print is not to different for each insurer.

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Coyote

our dog is 13 next month. i have had pet insurance until 1 year ago when i kicked direct line into touch after their latest big hike in premium c 45%. my dog has been healthy so we have never made any claims. i know we have been lucky with her but if starting again i would put £15 a month away into a special account to cover any vets fees. since going uninsured i have put the premiums away every month as i know that she is bound to need some vet attention in her latter years. however after 1 yr i have a nice pot building for such eventualities. from what ive seen, read and heard the insurers do all they can to limit claims even if youve been claim free for 10 years. as far as im concerned it just is not worth the premiums !

I think a great deal depends on the individual policies and it is always worth taking time to find a policy that meets your needs and gives you peace of mind.

My brother's dog, Joe, has had a reoccurring back problem and the insurance has paid out for the same life-saving operation twice - saving literally thousands and some tough choices.

I think insurance is vital simply because you never want to be faced with having a beloved pet put to sleep because of money.

Having said that, I get quite frustrated at insurers who class kids' pets like rats as 'exotic' and charge as much as they would for a lizard. Personally, I would not choose to insure a short-lived rodent.

Felicity

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Felicity King-Evans, Deputy Site Editor

felicity.king-evans @ moneysupermarket.com