Is pet insurance worth it for a European Burmese?
The European Burmese is a medium-sized cat with a long, silky coat that comes in shades of brown, black, blue, and cream. This breed is known for its gentle nature and affectionate personality.
Medical treatment for your European Burmese can become very expensive, especially if they encounter a more severe issue that requires invasive treatment. Medical bills for treating a sick European Burmese can quickly add up, costing up to a few thousand dollars. In these situations, you don’t want to be in the middle of a crisis and have to choose between your beloved cat and the affordability of their medical treatment.
To prepare for these unexpected circumstances, consider investing in pet insurance. It can help you afford your cat’s medical treatments and procedures while focusing on its recovery.
Pet insurance can also provide peace of mind that your cat can be covered for the necessary treatments when it has an accident, injury, or illness. This includes (but is not limited to) broken bones, cancer treatment, harm caused by another animal, and prescriptions for chronic conditions. Therefore, pet insurance can be essential and beneficial for your pet.
Common health conditions for a European Burmese
Typically, a European Burmese has a longer lifespan than the average cat, and you can expect your cat to live somewhere between 10 to 12 years. However, like all cat breeds, there are certain medical conditions that your cat could develop, such as:
- Patellar luxation: This condition causes the kneecap to slip out of place and get stuck at the top of the joint. A veterinarian can treat it with surgery or medication, but it can come back later in life.
- Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP): FIP is caused by a virus that can affect any cat but isn’t always fatal to them. In some cases, cats infected with FIP develop kidney failure and liver disease, eventually leading to death if treatment isn’t given early enough.
- Cataracts: This is a clouding or opacity of the lens inside the eye that affects vision. Cataracts usually develop slowly and often progress until they become severe enough to cause vision loss.
- Hip dysplasia: Hip dysplasia is a genetic disorder that can lead to lameness and arthritis in your cat. It’s also known as HD or CHD. The condition occurs when your cat’s hip joints don’t develop properly, resulting in an abnormal formation of the socket and ball of the joint. This usually causes pain and inflammation, leading to lameness and arthritis later.
- Brachycephalic syndrome: Brachycephalic syndrome, or Brachycephalic airway obstruction syndrome (BAOS), is a condition that affects short-nosed breeds of cats like the European Burmese. It’s caused by respiratory issues due to their shortened facial structure, making breathing difficult. Signs include snoring, noisy breathing, gagging, and collapsing while asleep.
What does pet insurance cover for a European Burmese?
Pet insurance covers a range of diagnostics, treatments, and procedures for your cat. Depending on the pet insurance plan, it may be substituted for injury-only, illness-only, or combination. Based on your plan, you are eligible for the following coverage:
- Diagnostic and blood tests: Your pet’s insurance will pay for any diagnostic tests that your vet thinks are necessary to determine the cause of an illness or injury. This can include blood tests, urine tests, ultrasounds, and X-rays. Some policies also cover pre-existing conditions that you know about when you sign up for insurance.
- Hereditary and genetic conditions: Pet insurance can help pay for treatment for hereditary diseases such as hip dysplasia, heart disease, and cataracts — even if they show up after you sign up for insurance. Some policies also do not cover pre-existing conditions that you know about when you sign up for insurance.
- X-rays and surgeries: You’ll be covered if your pet needs surgery because of a broken bone or torn ligament or because he swallowed something sharp that punctured his stomach or intestines (his intestines). If he has an accident — like slipping on ice and breaking a leg your policy will cover his treatment too.
- Medication and hospital stay: Pet insurance plans vary widely in coverage, so it’s essential to read each plan carefully to understand what they cover. Some plans may not cover specific treatments or may limit how much they will pay out per treatment, while some cover even medications where you are needed to stay in the hospital.
Pet insurance covers a range of treatments, but not preventative or wellness care. Regular check-ups with the veterinarian will not be covered under most pet insurance plans. You will need to take advantage of an individual wellness plan for this type of coverage or see if the provider had- an add-on for wellness visits. Most providers do have it as an add-on.
Moreover, most insurance providers will not cover pre-existing conditions before registering your pet for coverage. Review everything your potential pet insurance plan covers and what types of pre-existing conditions they exclude to ensure your pet will be eligible for coverage.
How much does pet insurance cost for a European Burmese?
The European Burmese is an active cat who enjoys playing and interacting with people. They are generally friendly with other pets but can be aggressive towards strangers and unfamiliar animals. The average cost of pet insurance for a European Burmese is about £20 per month and about £240 per year.
How are pet insurance premiums determined for a European Burmese?
Many factors will determine the monthly premium rate for your European Burmese (included but not limited to):
- Age: The older your pet is, the more likely it will need medical, more significant care. The younger it is, the less likely it will need medical care.
- Location: If you live in a rural area with few veterinary services, expect to pay more for pet insurance than someone who lives in an urban area with many options for veterinary care.
- Gender: Male dogs tend to be more significant and likely to require expensive surgeries and procedures than female dogs. Gender doesn’t affect cats as much because they’re smaller animals overall. However, there could still be gender-based differences in care needs (for example, male cats tend to get urinary tract infections more often).
- Medical history: If your pet has a pre-existing condition such as heartworm or diabetes, that condition will be covered by your policy at a higher rate than pets without such conditions would receive.
- Deductible: The deductible is the amount of money you must pay out-of-pocket before the insurance company covers any expenses incurred by your pet during a given year.
- Reimbursement rate: The reimbursement rate is the percentage of the cost of a covered medical service that your insurance company will pay. The reimbursement rate for pet insurance plans varies from plan to plan and from company to company.
- Coverage amount: The coverage amount is the maximum amount your insurer will pay for any given condition during the policy period. This can also be referred to as the maximum reimbursement limit per condition or disease.
How to choose the best pet insurance plan for a European Burmese
Many pet insurance options are available for a European Burmese, so how do you choose the best one? Here are some key factors to keep in mind as you are deciding on the right plan:
- Budget: The first thing you need to do when choosing pet insurance is to set a budget. You should consider that annual premiums can vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, so it’s essential to know how much you can afford to spend on your pet and then find an affordable plan that covers everything you want.
- Customer feedback: Once you’ve determined how much money you want to spend on your pet’s insurance, it’s time to look at customer reviews of different companies. Most companies will give you access to their online ratings, which can be very helpful if you want more information about how satisfied customers are with their services. You can also ask friends or coworkers who have pets if they have any recommendations for promising companies in your area.
- Conditions covered: Most pet insurance plans will cover some common diseases like broken bones or cancer treatments, but they won’t always cover every disease. You must read through the fine print and make sure that your plan covers all of the critical conditions of your particular situation.
- Reimbursement rate: You should also look at the plan’s reimbursement rate for each condition. While some companies reimburse 100 percent of your expenses, others only reimburse 80 percent or even less than that.
- Coverage amount: The first thing you’ll want to consider is the maximum dollar amount the plan will pay for each year. This is usually referred to as the benefit limit or maximum reimbursement amount. The higher the coverage amount, the more expensive it will be, but this may be worth it if you have a costly breed or medical condition.
- Deductible: While higher deductibles typically mean lower monthly premiums, they also mean higher out-of-pocket costs if something goes wrong with your pet’s health. If you’re not sure what works best for you and your budget, consider opting for a high deductible with an annual maximum payout limit so that no matter how much care your animal requires in one year, you won’t have to pay more than a certain amount out of pocket per year even if all of it were covered by the policy (which is unlikely).