Lifetime Plus Cat Insurance

Your cat may be agile and independent, but they can also fall ill or have accidents. Sadly, the UK doesn’t have a pet version of the NHS to foot the bill. Without cat insurance, you could pay thousands of pounds to treat your feline if they become poorly.  

According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), the average claim in 2023 was £668 – nearly 50% higher than the cost of the average insurance policy. But the reality is that vet treatment for common issues can often be much higher than this.  

Learn about the benefits of pet insurance – what’s covered, what’s not, and much more in our ultimate guide. 

The cost of cat insurance will depend on a variety of things, including:  

• Where you live  
• Your cat’s breed and age 
• If your cat has any pre-existing conditions  
• Your chosen vet fee limit, excess, bill share, and cover options  

Online research can help you decide what vet fee limits and benefit levels to choose for your cat cover. So, think about:  

• Looking up your local vet clinic’s costs to treat your cat in an emergency  
• Learning which cat breeds are prone to genetic illnesses and the potential costs to treat these conditions 

Many cat parents can’t afford to find thousands of pounds to pay the vet should something happen to their four-legged friend.  

You never want to compromise on your cat’s care or the treatment options available if they need medical help. Investing in comprehensive cat cover can give you peace of mind when faced with unexpected and costly vet bills.  

Cat insurance can also cover you for more than vet fees, including emergency cattery costs and even advertising if they go missing. 

Cat insurance can protect you against unplanned and costly vet bills if your feline gets sick or has an accident. As part of your Petgevity cover, you get:

• Vet fees
  > Behavioural treatment and complementary therapy
  > Dental accidents
  > Euthanasia
  > MRI/CT scans (up to £2k)
  > Cruciate ligaments (up to £2k)
• Emergency care

You can also choose optional extras like Dental Illness and Travel and Holiday cover. So you can tailor your cat’s policy to their specific needs. 

Like most insurers, we won’t cover routine and preventative treatments, including: 

• Flea and worming
• Neutering
• Vaccinations
• Routine teeth cleaning
• Routine or investigative tests (unless to diagnose a new or worsening condition covered under your policy)

Speak to your vet to see if they offer a healthcare plan. This can include annual vaccinations, regular health checkups, and preventative treatments.

“One of the reasons why cats are so beloved is because of their playful attitudes and adventurous spirits. But this primal instinct to explore can get them into unexpected scrapes.

Cat insurance can give you peace of mind that your favourite feline is covered for the escapades of everyday life. So if something did happen, you can focus on helping your cat get better, not worrying about paying out for expensive vet costs.”

Allie Simpson – Pet insurance specialist

Meet our pet experts

In a nutshell, ‘lifetime’ is a term used to describe how vet fees work for a type of pet insurance policy.  

Should your pet develop an illness or condition, you can keep claiming as long as you renew each year. That’s why having a lifetime policy gives you the reassurance that your pet could be covered for life.  

We believe that cats and dogs deserve the best and you deserve peace of mind. It’s why we only offer lifetime pet insurance, as it’s the most comprehensive type of cover out there. It’s important to know that a lifetime policy doesn’t mean the price will stay the same over the life of your pet. The cost of their cover can still change each year and tends to go up as your pet gets older.  

And not all lifetime policies are the same. Some providers use the term ‘annual limit’ and can offer policies with two types of limits:  

• An overall yearly limit  
• A yearly condition limit that pays up to a certain amount for each condition each policy year that you renew  

To keep things easy, Petgevity policies have just one overall limit that resets annually. You can claim for as many conditions as needed up to your chosen vet fee limit. 

Although many vets don’t charge a fee to register your pet, this is down to the individual practice. If in doubt, get in touch with your local vet practice or have a look at their website.  

Understanding how lifetime pet insurance works doesn’t need to drive you barking mad.  

To make things easier, let’s break down the process further.  

1. Choose an annual vet fee cover limit that suits you and your pet’s needs. If optional, decide if you’d like to pay towards the cost of a claim by adding an excess or bill share.
2. If your pet gets injured or falls ill and you need to claim, the cost will be taken from your annual limit. Claim as many times as needed for as many conditions up to your chosen annual limit each policy year.
3. When you renew your policy, your chosen annual vet fee limit will renew back up to the full amount.  

A few other need-to-knows about how lifetime pet insurance works.  

Find out whether there’s an excess for every condition you claim for each year, or whether you only need to pay the excess once in a policy year. 

> Check whether you’ll need to pay anything towards the cost of a claim through an excess or co-payment. Some providers make these compulsory, but not with a Petgevity lifetime policy. 

> See if the provider will cover pre-existing conditions – but more on that later. 

Petgevity considers all pet pre-existing conditions. When getting a quote, you’ll be asked about your pet’s health to see if we can cover them.  

Sadly, not all lifetime pet insurance policies cover pre-existing conditions. This is dependent on the provider.  

If an insurer does offer pre-existing conditions cover, remember to read their policy wording. Insurers may have their own definition of what is considered a pre-existing condition. This includes what conditions they’ll cover, whether there are any extra excesses to pay or any other limits to your cover. 

The exact cost of lifetime pet insurance depends on your dog or cat. Different things may affect how much you pay, including:  

• Where you live in the UK 
• The breed of your pet 
• The age of your pet 
• Pre-existing conditions (subject to acceptance)  

You could also end up paying more for lifetime pet cover than other types of pet insurance options. This is because it’s the most comprehensive type of cover. You also have the choice between paying off the policy in one go or spreading out the cost monthly, which may help to make it more manageable.  

You might think it’s easiest to jump to the cheapest option when it comes to choosing pet insurance. Before doing this, you may want to take a step back and consider what is right for your pet and their specific needs, and if your chosen policy meets these needs. 

Lifetime pet insurance has a vet fee limit that resets each year you renew the policy.  

Then there’s products like time-limited and maximum benefit pet insurance. These cheaper policies may have a time limit on how long you can claim for new conditions. Or only cover new conditions up to a certain vet fee limit. So it can get confusing as to when and by how much you can claim.  

Want a detailed breakdown of the difference between maximum benefit, time-limited, and lifetime pet insurance? Have a read of our blog on how to choose the best pet insurance for your pet.