Written by The Meilleurtaux editorial team .
Updated
June 20, 2023 .
Reading time :
6 mins
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Veterinary expenses can sometimes weigh heavily on a cat owner's budget. Insuring your four-legged pet is an expense that can quickly become profitable. How does cat mutual insurance work? What criteria affect the rate of contributions? Find out how the price of cat health insurance is calculated and how to find the right price and the best plan for your cat.
How does cat mutual insurance work?
Like traditional mutual insurance, health insurance for cats allows you to be reimbursed for veterinary expenses.
Your cat can be covered in the event of:
- Illness and accident: support for consultations, medical analyses, medications, etc.
- Surgery : reimbursement of hospitalization costs and medical procedures.
The quality of the support depends on the plan subscribed.
Some mutual insurance companies offer optional guarantees for be reimbursed for prevention expenses : vaccines, antiparasitic treatment, sterilization, scaling, alternative medicine, etc.
Concretely, you pay a monthly contribution each month for insure your pet. In return, you have the guarantee of being able to care for your cat without worrying about the amount of the bill.
I find the best animal insurance
What does the price of cat health insurance depend on?
Many elements can vary the price of mutual insurance for cats.
Overall, the higher the insurance premium, the better the coverage.
Your cat's profile
THE price of cat health insurance premium depends first of all on the animal to be insured:
Cats registered in the LOF (French Book of Origins) often need more care. Certain breeds are more prone to certain diseases.
Purebred cats are generally more vulnerable compared to crossbred cats.
Cat or pussy, the insurance price can finally vary depending on this criterion.
A cat with access to the outdoors is more likely to be the victim of an accident or to be injured: fights, falling from a tree or roof, poisoning, road accident, etc.
Some insurers emphasize this point by offering a cheaper insurance for indoor cats. This is for example the case of SantéVet.
Others do not differentiate between indoor and outdoor cats. Sedentary cats tend to develop certain diseases: diabetes, kidney problems, heart problems, etc.
It is possible to find a guarantee for the most daring indoor cats that covers accidents linked to falls from a balcony.
Logically, young cats are less likely to get sick. THE price of cat mutual insurance contributions is not increased.
For an elderly cat, the risks of developing pathologies are numerous. Some insurers refuse to take the slightest risk by limiting the age of membership to 6 years. Others apply an increase in the premiums to be paid.
Be sure to do your research carefully before subscribing.
Why take out mutual insurance for your kitten?We advise you not to delay insuring your kitten. It is possible to subscribe from the age of 3 to 6 months. You will benefit from more attractive rates, due to its young age, while benefiting from the guarantees of the contract when your cat ages without increasing premiums.
- Medical history
If your animal has health problems, insurers apply an increase on contributions or even warranty exclusions.
Guarantee levels
To get a first idea of the price, it is wise to look at the contracts offered by the insurance company.
We generally distinguish three levels of guarantees :
- Economic health insurance, the cheapest formula
Attention, it does not cover all of your pet's health expenses. Coverage is generally limited to reimbursement for veterinary care and in the event of an accident. Some mutual insurance companies cover illness-related expenses.
Include a monthly contribution between 3 and 15 €.
The premium increases to a minimum of €10 when the cat is over 4 years old. For insurers, beyond this age, your animal faces more risks.
- The intermediate contract
It generally offers a good value for money. Your cat is covered in the event of an accident, illness and/or surgery.
The price of the monthly premium is included between 15 and 30 €.
- The premium formula, high-end mutual insurance
It covers all veterinary expenses, including sterilization or alternative medicine costs. THE price of contributions for this type of cat insurance is often quite high.
If it is possible to find offers from 35 €some can cost you up to €60 per month.
Conditions of the cat insurance contract
Other criteria change the price of insurance and the amount of reimbursements:
This is a percentage generally understood between 50 and 100%.
It indicates the part being reimbursed to you by the mutual insurance for cats.
- The annual reimbursement ceiling.
it's about the maximum amount supported per each year.
It varies most often between €1,000 and €3,000 but can go up to €7,500 for certain insurances.
It's about a amount deducted from your reimbursements, on a fixed basis, once a year, or for each act. Note that there are many cat insurance policies with no excess.
This is the duration during which your pet is not covered after subscription. There is also cat insurance without deficiency.
I find the best animal insurance
Comparison table of cat mutual prices
| Insurer | Monthly price | Repayment rate | Annual ceiling | Franchise | Waiting period | Promotional offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HealthVet | €14.79 | 60% | €1,100 | None | Accident: 48 hours Illness: 45 days |
2 months of contribution for any online subscription |
| Dalma | €14.99 | 60% | €1,200 | None | Accident: 48 hours Illness: 45 days |
15% discount for any additional animal |
| Assur O Poil | €19.75 | 60% | €1,300 | €15 min | Accident: immediate Illness: 45 days | 1st membership: 1 month of membership + a free connected medallion 10% discount from the 2nd animal. |
| Animal Health | €18.89 | 70% (excluding accidents) | €1,500 | None | Accident: 48 hours Illness: 45 days |
20% off your second pet Sponsorship offer |
| Self-insurance | €9.13 | 70% (excluding accidents) | €1,000 | €25 | Accident: 15 days Illness: 60 days |
3 months free for any renewal of a comfort or premium contract taken out online |
| Acheel | €8.72 | 80% | €1,000 | None | Accident: 15 days Illness: 60 days |
3 months free for online membership |
*Rates calculated in April 2023 to insure a European cat born in October 2022.
I find the best animal insurance
What is the average price of medical procedures for cats?
THE veterinary fees are freely fixed. They can vary considerably from one practitioner to another.
To give you an idea, here are some prices:
- Consultation: €30 to €40.
- Vaccine: €60.
- Sterilization or castration: €150 to €300.
- Descaling: €100.
- Identification (tattoo or chip): €60
- In the event of illness, the price of medication must be added to these costs: count between €50 and €100.
- Hospitalization: the cost of general anesthesia is €70 on average and €50 per day if your cat is hospitalized.
Prices may also change depending on the location of the practice or veterinary clinic.
How to easily calculate the price of your cat's health insurance?
You wish take out mutual insurance to take care of the health of your furball?
The choice of mutual health insurance depends above all on your needs and your budget.
To find insurance for your pet that meets your expectations, we advise you to use our online comparator.
Simply fill in some essential information about your pet so that the simulator will calculate the price offered by cat mutuals.
All you have to do is compare the prices depending on the level of guarantee desired to find the inexpensive cat insurance you need.
Written by
The Meilleurtaux editorial team
