Compare Cat Insurance

Accident-only cover is the lowest level of cover that insures your pet for accidental injuries only. This may include cuts, bone fractures, car accident injuries, snake or insect bites and more.

Learn more about accident-only cover.

Accident and illness cover is a standard policy that covers some vet costs for specified accidental injuries and illnesses such as skin conditions, gastrointestinal problems, cancer and more. Select policies may also include emergency boarding.

As the highest level of pet cover, comprehensive insurance can cover a higher portion of your vet bills for a wide range of accidents and illnesses your cat might encounter. Dental cover may also be included in some comprehensive plans, though usually it is included as an optional add-on.

Routine care is a common optional extra that covers vet consultations and preventative treatments such as vaccinations and teeth cleaning.

A benefit percentage is the portion of the vet bill your insurer will pay after you make the claim. This typically ranges from 70% to 90%, although it can be dependent on your policy and insurance provider. In many instances, you’ll need to pay the vet’s invoice upfront and then claim some of your eligible costs back from your insurer. Increasingly, however, it’s possible to claim on the spot at participating vet clinics. This means, instead of stumping up the entire bill upfront and waiting for an insurer refund, your claim is calculated there and then meaning you just pay the leftover gap, and any policy excess that applies.

Most pet insurance policies also have an annual benefit limit – a cap on how much your insurer will pay for claims each year. Also, there may be sub-limits for specific conditions. For example, your policy may have an annual benefit limit of $10,000 but a $500 sub-limit for cruciate ligament conditions. On higher plans, you may see an annual limit of up to $30,000, a benefit percentage of 90% and no sub-limits applying for expenses such as tick paralysis, emergency boarding, cruciate ligament conditions, etc. More common annual benefit limits sit around $10,000 to $15,000, however limits vary widely and must be checked in each policy’s PDS (Product Disclosure Statement).

A policy excess is the amount you pay towards a claim before your insurer contributes. Depending on the policy, the excess may be applied before or after the benefit percentage. Some insurers will apply the policy excess before the benefit percentage, while others will deduct it after. Paying a higher excess can reduce your policy premiums, and vice versa.

Cat insurance usually excludes pre-existing conditions, elective procedures and costs that exceed policy limits. It can also exclude routine or preventative care unless it is added onto the insurance plan.

Common pet insurance exclusions can relate to breeding and obstetrics, alternative therapies, dental illnesses and diseases preventable by vaccination. However, some of these may be available as optional cover. Check your pet insurance PDS (Product Disclosure Statement) for more information.

If your cat is injured or becomes ill during the waiting period, pet insurance generally won’t cover the related treatment costs. In some cases these injuries or illnesses will be treated as a pre-existing condition and will not be covered in future.

There are typically no waiting periods for accidents, but most insurance providers have a 30-day waiting period for illnesses. Check your policy terms for full details.

Yes, you can insure your cat for life by taking out cover before they turn nine years old and cover can continue as long as there is no break or lapse in that cover. Most new policies won’t cover older cats once they reach a certain age, except for some accident-only policies which don’t typically have age limits.