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Cat insurance

Insure your cat and find the right cover for your pet

Get a cat insurance quote

  • Cat insurance can help cover the cost of expensive vet bills

  • You can pick from a range of different cover types to suit your cat

  • Compare quotes from a range of trusted pet insurance providers

Do I need cat insurance?

It's not a legal requirement to insure your cat. But if they fall ill or they're involved in an accident you could recieve an expensive vet bill. Cat insurance can help cover the cost.

Getting the right cover for your cat means you could save thousands of pounds getting your cat back to health.

Compare pet insurance quotes with us and find a policy that works for you. It only takes a few minutes.

What are the different types of cat insurance?

There are 4 main types to choose from:

  • Accident only
  • Time limited
  • Maximum benefit
  • Lifetime

Accident only offers a fixed sum for each accidental injury your cat suffers. It's the least comprehensive type of pet insurance and only covers accidents, not illnesses. Some policies also have a time limit on how long after an injury you can claim for treatment.

Time limited gives you a fixed sum of money for each separate illness or injury your pet suffers. But it only covers treatment for a specific period of time. This is typically up to 12 months from the start of the illness or injury. Any treatment your pet needs after this may not be covered.

Maximum benefit gives you a set amount of money to cover each illness or injury you cat suffers. Once you've spent this set amount on a specific treatment, you can't claim for any more. You can claim for different health conditions though.

Lifetime pet insurance is the most comprehensive cat cover you can get. It should cover any new illnesses or injuries up to a set limit each year. If you renew the policy annually, you can claim for conditions or injuries again. This isn't the case with other policies. Lifetime cat insurance can help you manage long-term conditions like diabetes too.

How much is cat insurance?

There are a few things that can affect the cost of your policy, these include:

  • The type of policy you choose. The more advanced types cost more.
  • The amount of cover you want. The more cover you need, the more expensive the policy.
  • Your cat's age and breed,. These factor into the likelihood of your cat developing illnesses.
  • Whether your cat is vaccinated or neutered. These can protect your cat from certain conditions so it can affect the cost.
  • The excess you choose. Typically, the more you can afford, the cheaper your policy could be.

Pedigree cats like a Maine Coon, Persian or sphynx can be more expensive to insure than your standard cat.

This is because some pedigree breeds are more prone to certain conditions, so your insurer might see them as risky to insure.

As an example of how much it can cost, here’s the average cat owner's monthly insurance price based on the age of their cat:

Cat's age Average monthly cost
0-3
£10
4-7
£12
8-11
£13
12-15
£20
16+
£16

Prices based on Confused.com data taken between 01/06/23 - 31/08/23. Costs shown are based on the average price paid for cover across all cover types, breeds and in all locations.

How can I get cheaper cat insurance?

Here are a few things that could help to bring your costs down:

Make sure your cat is fully vaccinated. Pet vaccinations can reduce the chances of your cat getting certain illnesses.

Neuter or spay your cat. Doing this can lower the chances of your cat developing testicular or ovarian cancer.

Keep your cat generally healthy. Good general health including a healthy weight means your cat is less of a risk to insure.

Set the right excess. This is the amount you pay towards a claim. It shows your insurer that you're likely to only claim for serious situations.

Get a multi-pet insurance policy. If you have more than one cat, a multi-pet policy can often work out cheaper than several individual ones.

Compare cat insurance

Get a cat quote

What our pet insurance expert says

"Most of us would do anything for our cats, but vet bills and treatments can be expensive. Insuring your cat means you can take away some of the financial worry when deciding what's best for your pet."

What's covered by cat insurance?

All cat insurance policies should cover vet bills. So if your cat is involved in an accident and injured, you're covered.

A cat insurance policy also typically covers:

  • Treatment for illness. If your pet hasn't suffered from that illness previously.
  • Holiday cancellation costs. If you need to cancel due to your pet falling sick.
  • Cattery fees. If you're hospitalised for more than 4 days and your cat needs care.
  • Liability costs. If your cat causes accidental damage to a third party and they take action against you.
  • Advertising and reward costs. If your cat goes missing or is stolen.

The rest of your coverage depends on your insurer as all insurers and policies are different.

What's not covered by cat insurance?

Most insurers won’t cover:

  • Routine check-ups. These include things like worming which you pay for yourself.
  • Dental treatment. Many policies cover dental work if your cat is involved in an accident and injured. But anything else isn't covered.
  • Pregnancy and neutering. If your cat is pregnant, it’s unlikely your insurer covers this. Neutering is also unlikely to be covered.
  • Vaccinations. To help fight off cat related illnesses, you need to keep your pet’s vaccinations up to date. But vaccinations aren't covered by most insurers.
  • Pre-existing conditions. Your policy doesn't cover any health conditions that your cat had before you bought your insurance policy.

What do I need to get a quote?

To get a quote, you need:

  • Your pet's names and birthdays
  • Your details and address
  • Details of your pet's health
  • Their breeds and pedigrees
  • Details of their micro-chip (if they have one)
  • Their vaccination details. If you're unsure, read our vaccinations guide
  • If your cat or dog have been neutered or spayed.

What if my cat has a pre-existing condition?

For pets with a pre-existing condition, you need a specialist pet insurer.

Unfortunately, at Confused.com, we don’t compare quotes from insurers who offer this sort of cover.

To read more, our guide on pet insurance for pre-existing conditions should help.

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Page last reviewed: 10 October 2023

Reviewed by: Matthew Harwood

Confused.com’s Pet Insurance solution is provided by theIdol.com. theidol.com is a trading style of Investment Discounts On-Line Ltd and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office; Investment Discounts On-Line Ltd, One Coleman Street, London, EC2R 5AA. Registered in England no: 04231834. theidol.com is part of the Legal & General group.

Our service is free to use and compares a wide range of trusted household names. Confused.com is an intermediary and receives a commission from theidol.com if you decide to buy through our website. Our commission is based on a percentage of a fixed price per pet insured, but will not increase your premium. We pride ourselves on impartiality and independence – therefore we don't promote any one insurance provider over another.