Cat Insurance: What Is Covered

Posted on January 30, 2012 by TC

Cat Insurance: What Is Covered?

Cat insurance is a good choice to get when you adopt a cat, but what is covered? If you are considering cat insurance, you need to know what is covered in the standard policies. This will help you to shop around and compare plans.

The main aim of cat insurance is to provide cover for any expensive veterinarian treatment that your cat may need during her lifetime, so that you are not suddenly faced with having to pay out a huge sum of money for expensive surgery or other treatment, or having your cat put down when her life could have been saved.

So you can expect your cat insurance plan to cover emergency medical treatment for your cat, as a minimum. This should include veterinarian costs for treating any new illness or health condition in your cat (but see notes about deductibles and limits below).

Your cat insurance policy may not include cover for some or all of the following:

- routine shots
- preventive treatment that your veterinarian recommends
- foods for a special diet
- dental treatment
- treatment relating to neutering, pregnancy or birth of kittens
- treatment for behavioral problems
- the cost of medications
- treatment of issues that your cat already has (pre-existing conditions)
- treatment of geriatric illnesses (conditions caused by old age)
- life insurance for accidental death
- insurance for theft or loss of your cat
- cost of treatment in other countries if you travel with your pet
- cost of boarding if you are admitted to hospital and cannot care for your cat
- cost of canceling a paid-for vacation because your cat is sick

You will need to think about which of these options you might need or want. Cover for them will be worthwhile for some cat owners but not others. For example, theft insurance might be important to somebody who owns a valuable pedigree cat, but probably not to the owner of a regular mixed breed cat. For that reason, many plans offer these items as optional extras.

It is very important to read the fine print of any cat insurance plan carefully, so that you know exactly what you will get and what you won’t. Compare a couple of different plans, too. Don’t only look at the cheapest plans. You may see something in a more expensive plan that you had not thought about, and it might turn out to be important.

If the plan that you are looking at does not cover everything that you want, call the company and ask if you can have certain things added. It will cost a little more but it is often worthwhile.

As with many other types of insurance, you may find that you are expected to pay something toward each claim. This is known as the deductible in the US (‘excess’ in the UK and Australia). This might be $50 or $100 or more, depending on the company and the policy. You can often negotiate this amount. It will affect the cost of the insurance so, other things being equal, a policy with $200 deductible will be cheaper per month than a policy with $100 deductible.

There may also be a maximum payout for each condition or event. For example, your plan may cover up to $5000 of veterinary bills for a particular disease or injury. The cover may also be time limited: e.g. your cat insurance may only pay for the first 12 months of treatment for each problem.

Enjoy the new Great Cats Site Blog article Cat Insurance: What Is Covered? and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Cats: Our Feline Pets
TC Pet Stop
Teri’s Dog Training Tips

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Pet Insurance Ratings

Posted on January 30, 2012 by TC

Pet Insurance Ratings: Can You Trust Them?

Pet insurance ratings, can you really trust them? Pet insurance ratings are used these days by many people to help them make a choice between the different insurance companies that offer plans for pets. But are they reliable? How much should you trust them when you are shopping around for a pet insurance plan?

In theory, pet insurance ratings and reviews are given by consumers who have tried pet insurance and want to report their experience to other potential users. They can be very useful, a little like getting a neighbor to tell you what he thinks of his insurance company.

However, it is important to remember that they are subjective. Each rating that is submitted is just one person’s view. It may not be a balanced view. It could even be untrue. Staff could go online and post positive reviews of their company or negative ratings of competitors. If they were feeling unhappy at work, they might even post negative reviews of their own company!

On the other hand, most ratings are made up of the opinions of a number of different people. So it is clear that you can have much more confidence in them if the rating is calculated from thousands of consumers’ opinions rather than just a few.

If you are a member of any online forums, you probably know that people often come to the internet to vent and rant when they are feeling frustrated with something in their lives. This is true of pet insurance just like anything else. People are probably more likely to leave a rating for any type of product or service when they have had a bad experience. If they have had a good experience or an OK experience, they do not necessarily bother to tell others.

So when you are reading pet insurance ratings online, keep in mind that they may be skewed toward the negative.

Another point to remember is that not everybody will be looking for the same things that you are. A company could have a plan that would suit one person just fine but another not at all. So even if somebody rates a company 5 stars, it does not mean that they will have the product or service that you want.

It is much more useful if people post individual reviews instead of just a numerical rating. Then you can see why everybody felt the way that they did.

Where To Find Pet Insurance Ratings

You will find consumer ratings for pet insurance companies on specialist sites that compare the market for this and other products and services. Just keep in mind that you should not use consumer reviews as your only reason for deciding to go with a pet insurance company.

You will also need to look carefully at what they offer, including reading their policy document which most companies put online so that you can check it before you sign up. Do not pass up that opportunity. Pet insurance ratings are not the only way to evaluate the service that a company offers.

Enjoy the new Great Cats Site Blog article Pet Insurance Ratings: Can You Trust Them? and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Cats: Our Feline Pets
TC Pet Stop
Teri’s Dog Training Tips

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Healthy Cats Know What Tastes Good

Posted on January 12, 2012 by TC

Healthy Cats Know What Tastes Good

Healthy cats know what tastes good and what is good for them. As all cat owners know, a feline can be a wonderful addition to any family. One of the most basic aspects of cat ownership is proper health care for the cat. Health care for a cat encompasses a wide array of vaccine shots, flea protection, vet visits, medications, and even proper exercise.

However, the most important aspect of cat health is also often overlooked. People spend hundereds of hours and thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a cat to keep it healthy, but most cat owners don’t pay nearly enough attention to the proper cat food they get for their cat.

The right cat food is absolutely essential to a healthy, happy cat.

But what is the best cat food for your cat? While each cat will have slightly different nutritional needs, there are some general rules that must be considered when looking for cat food.

First of all, cats (like their human owners) need a high quality diet. This means the best types of protein, fats, carbs, and the less preservatives and chemical additives, the better. Most of the research available online does not compare specific brands of cat food, as much as specific ingredients to feed your cat, and which to stay away from!

Cats need a high protein diet. Wild cats are very carnivorous, and cats derive a great deal of their nutritional needs from protein. House cats, while not wild, still have many of the same nutritional needs as their wild feline counterparts. So, the most important ingredient in any cat food is protein.

Carbohydrates are also an important part of a cats diet, though not as important as protein. Cats really should derive the majority of their nutritional needs from protein, so cat foods that are high in carbohydrates may not necessarily be the best for them.

Interestingly enough, many of the premium brands of cat food offer exactly what most cats need, and aren’t necessarily more expensive. This is because high end cat foods need a smaller serving amount than the low end cat foods to give a cat all the nutrients they need to be satisfied and healthy.

When comparing a premium brand such as Eukanuba, to a lower cost brand such as Purina, the cost difference for the recommended serving size is only a nickel a day. Furthermore, because a cat will eat less of the high end cat food, their waste will be reduced. This can cut down on the frequency of litter replacement and litter box related chores.

Another aspect of cat food to be considered is the quality of the protein in the food. Because of the way many pet food companies describe the meat in the food, it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the difference between “chicken flavored”, and “chicken dinner” is.

Food that contains “chicken meal” can only be made from the skin, flesh, and bones only. This is really the best type of protein for a cat. Food that has “meat byproducts” can contain nearly any animal parts, and are of lower quality than “chicken meal”. Food that is “chicken flavored” only has to taste like chicken, but may not contain any animal meat at all. Also, chicken is generally better than beef for cats.

And it goes without saying, preservatives, as well as artificial colors, should be avoided whenever possible. Although specific research is lacking on this subject, we do know that preservatives and artificial colors can have a negative impact on human health. It is only logical that cats will also be negatively affected.

Keep in mind what your cat needs and read the labels. DO NOT over feed your cat or he can become fat. Like most things when your shopping for your cat read the labels to make sure you are feeding your cat a healthy diet.

Enjoy the new Great Cats Site Blog article Healthy Cats Know What Tastes Good and here are some of the other pet and dog sites that I currently operate. Hope you can find all of the information about dogs and caring for dogs that you are looking for through these sites.

Cats: Our Feline Pets
TC Pet Stop
Teri’s Dog Training Tips

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Introducing A New Kitten To Your Older Cat

Posted on December 7, 2011 by TC

Introducing A New Kitten To Your Older Cat

You want to get a kitten and you’re not sure how your older cat will take to having this new ‘creature’ introduced to her. So, you read somewhere that introducing a new kitten into your home could be great for your existing cat, for companionship. And you remember how much fun your cat was when she was a new kitten, and you would love to re-live those days.

It is generally thought that cats thrive better with the company of another feline, especially cats confined indoors. But before you rush off to your local cat shelter or breeder, here are a few tips to make bringing home a new kitten as stress free as possible.

Choose a time when your home is not too busy and you will have time to devote to your new kitty and your existing cat, avoid holidays, for example, or other times when friends and family are likely to visit.

Before bringing home the new kitten, take her to your veterinarian to get her checked and vaccinated, kittens have weak immune systems and are likely to pick up something at the shelter or cattery. Consider adopting a cat of the opposite sex to your existing cat, this will avoid same sex rivalry and associated problems. For a number of reasons all your cats must be spayed/neutered.

If possible arrange to bath your new kitten at a friends house before you take it home, this will neutralize kitty’s odor, and go some way to prevent unsettling your cat.

A short isolation period is necessary when introducing a new kitten. It would be ideal to have a separate room for the new kitten, your new little pet will need her own litter box, and food and water bowl. Some kittens will hide out under furniture for some days, more adventurous ones will be eager to explore their new home almost straight away. Do not try and force kitty to leave the room, you will know when she is ready.

Allow your new kitten to explore around your home while your older cat is in another room. Make the introduction, slowly, bit by bit, it is a good idea to let your existing cat sniff your new kitten’s blanket a few times before they actually meet. Make the initial periods of contact short. Gradually increase the time that they spend together as they get used to one another. It is not unusual for there to be a few spats in these first meetings, so do not leave them alone together until they get on. If a fight does break out, distract the combatants and get them into separate rooms as soon as possible, never punish either cat.

The process of introducing a new kitten to an older cat, can often be relatively stress free and need not be full of problems. The key is in making the introduction slowly, and perhaps the best tip of all is to give your older cat just as much attention and affection as you give the newcomer.

Introducing a new kitten to your older cat can be done with next to no stress if done right. Before you know it you will have two cats that thrive on each others company.

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Small Kids and Kittens

Posted on November 14, 2011 by TC

Small Kids and Kittens

What is it about small kids and kittens. Small children don’t realise that a small kitten is not a toy. Little kids just don’t realise that they can hurt a small animal like a kitten. Ever watch a toddler with a kitten?

The smaller your child, the more interested he will be in the new kitty. It will be his baby, his companion, his toy ….only the kitten isn’t a toy and that’s something that you need to make very clear about right from the get-go. Even a toddler can understand that they are not to pick kitty up if they are told firmly enough.

Your child is fragile against the outside world, but the kitten is fragile even against a small child and can easily be hurt by simply being loved too much! Young kids have a habit of wanting to hug the kitten tightly, and this can be fatal as it’s easy to restrict cat’s air supply. Picking up the kitten in a rough way, or by its legs can create the need for a visit to the veterinary where you and your child (if there) will be admonished for ill treating the kitty. It can also create internal injuries on a young kitten that doesn’t have much body fat to protect its internal organs.

The best way to bring young child and kitty together safely is by first not allowing your child to pick up the kitten until you are sure he can do it in the correct manner, and by teaching him to fuss and then play with the kitty while the kitty is on your knee. The kitten will soon follow your child around if he feels safe, and within no time at all you’ll probably find you have two “kittens” crawling around the floor as your child becomes the kitty’s shadow!

By first teaching the safe way of fussing, and then playing, you decrease not only the chances of the kitten being unintentionally, but seriously, harmed – but also the chances of your child being scratched by a fearful cat who is being held too tight.

Small kids and kittens will get along fine if the child is taught right from the start to be easy with the kitten.

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