Best Cat Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

Cat insurance helps ease the burden of costs associated with looking after your cat. However, it usually doesn’t provide cover for pre-existing conditions – which includes injuries or illnesses your cat had before you started your insurance. Every provider is slightly different, so we’re going to take a look at them here.

What Is the Best Cat Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions?

If your cat has a pre-existing condition, the best cat insurance for them is Embrace. This is because they will evaluate your cat’s pre-existing condition and distinguish between curable and incurable conditions. If your cat is without symptoms for 12 months, and their condition is curable, they will provide cover.

Top Cat Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

We reviewed pet insurance companies, and this is our list of the top 10 providers for cats with pre-existing conditions:

1.    Embrace

PROS 

• Includes vet consultation fees, cancer treatment, diagnostic testing, surgery, prosthetic limbs.
• Covers some alternative therapies and rehabilitation. 
• Dental care is covered.
• Includes prescription medications.

CONS

• If your cat is 15 years or older, they only provide cover for accidents.
• There is a 12-month waiting period for curable pre-existing conditions.

Embrace pet insurance offers up to 90% reimbursement on your claims. They let you customize your policy to create a personalized level of care for your cat. If your cat has a pre-existing condition, they will distinguish between curable and incurable conditions. If your cat shows no symptoms from their curable condition for 12 months, they will provide cover. They use a simple submission process and offer a 24/7 pet health line to help you lodge, follow up on, or complete your claim. They cover regular vet visit bills, as well as costs for emergency treatments, specialists and rehabilitation. 

To keep your cat purring, visit Embrace here: https://www.embracepetinsurance.com/

2.    Petplan

PROS

• Covers injuries and illnesses. 
• Covers cancer treatment, surgery, rehabilitation.
• No age limits.
• No enrollment fee.

CONS

• Doesn’t cover for routine, wellness or preventive care.
• Doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions.

Petplan offers comprehensive insurance coverage for your cat with examination fees included, which could save you between $50 - $250 per appointment. They offer comprehensive dental insurance which provides covers for injury and disease in every adult tooth. They also cover hereditary conditions linked to your cat’s breed and any diagnostic tests, vet examination fees, virtual vet appointments, acupuncture, imaging and ultrasound. Hydrotherapy, emergency visits, specialist vets, behavioral therapy and chiropractic care are also covered. You can visit any vet, specialist or emergency clinic. Their plans average around $35 per month. They have a user-friendly claims processing method and a mobile phone app.

Visit Pet Plan to find out more about pre-existing conditions in cats: https://www.gopetplan.com/

3.    Pet First

PROS

• Hereditary and congenital conditions are covered.
• Chronic conditions are covered.
• Hospitalization, surgery, diagnostic tests     and x-rays are covered.
• After 6 months, your cover expands to include extra cover.

CONS

• Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
• Does not provide cover for routine wellness or preventative care.

Pet First offers pet insurance that you can tailor to suit the unique needs of your cat. By letting you choose the coverage, deductible and reimbursement that works best for you, it means all your cat’s needs can be looked after. They cover old age conditions including arthritis, periodontal disease, diabetes, blindness, cancer, seizures, cataracts and heart disease. They have an easy-to-use online system for processing your claim. All you need to do is submit the required information and they will process the claim within 30 days. If you need help with anything they are available 7 days a week.

Get your kitty a free quote with Pet First: https://www.petfirst.com/pet-insurance/cat-insurance/

4.    Pet Assure

PROS

• They provide cover for pre-existing conditions.
• No age limits.
• No waiting period – use it straight away.
• Includes in-house medical services like dental, routine care and
• Provides discounts on diabetes management, cancer care, hospitalization, surgeries, tumor removal.

CONS

• No cover for non-medical outsourced services (like blood work sent to a lab).
• Only offers approximately 25% savings on your bill. 

Pet Assure is different from regular pet insurance in that it is a discount card, rather than providing comprehensive pet insurance cover. The way it works is that you receive a discount card for your cat. You show your card at the vet, and they apply the discount to your bill immediately. There are no exclusions based on age or breed and every in-house medical service is discounted. If your cat has a pre-existing or a hereditary condition these are also covered. You can use the discount card every time you go to your vet, as many times as needed.

See how much you can save with Pet Assure: https://www.petassure.com/

5.    Pet Premium

PROS

• You can use your own vet.
• You can have your reimbursement paid directly to your vet (but check with your vet first that they don’t mind waiting for the insured portion of the bill).
• Or you can submit your completed claims form via fax, mail or email with your itemized invoice. 
• You can track the status of your claim online 24/7.

CONS

• Pre-existing conditions are not covered.
• Your premium will adjust as your pet ages (i.e., gets more expensive).

Pet Premium offers two pet insurance plans, accident-only or total cover. Pre-existing conditions in cats aren’t covered by either of these, but you can still benefit from having other unrelated problems insured. Also, they are fairly flexible and let you choose optional additions to your plan, like their preventive care options for wellness visits. The price of your premium will reflect the care package you select. You can have the reimbursement sent directly to your veterinary clinic, but you may want to check with your veterinarian first to see if they will wait to receive a portion of their payment.

What breed of cat do you have? Visit Pet Premium to find out: https://www.petpremium.com/

6.    Healthy Paws

PROS

• No caps on payouts, no annual caps and no lifetime caps.
• Easy to claim through their mobile app or online. 
• You can use any licensed veterinarian.
• Hereditary and congenital conditions are usually covered.

CONS

• 12- month waiting period for hip dysplasia.
• Does not cover pre-existing conditions.

Healthy Paws pet insurance has no caps on payouts, no annual caps and no lifetime caps. They provide cover for diagnostic appointments, surgery, medications, x-rays, rehabilitation, surgery and blood work, but won’t cover the cost of regular examination fees at your vet. If your cat is purebred, they might be more susceptible to some hereditary and congenital conditions, which are also covered. Wellness and preventative care, including dental healthcare, are also not covered by the Healthy Paws policy. They do not cover for pre-existing conditions, but the benefits of having other areas insured could still be worthwhile for your cat.

Cats can pad your way to Healthy Paws: https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/

7.    Pawp

PROS

• If you have lots of pets, they will protect up to 6 cats in a household.
• If you only want      cover for emergencies, they offer a cheap rate.
• You get online access to Pawp vets for online consultations.
• Provides covers for emergencies that relate to a pre-existing condition.

CONS

• They don’t provide cover for scheduled surgeries, vaccinations or routine procedures.
• They don’t cover regular check-ups.

Pawp isn’t a traditional pet insurance service, it operates slightly differently. Primarily, an emergency fund, Pawp covers up to $3000 for life-threatening and unexpected vet emergencies that require immediate medical attention. A perk of Pawp is they include cover for emergencies that relate to a pre-existing condition. The way Pawp works is to first provide members access to a Pawp vet online, who determines if the situation for your cat is an emergency. It is a low-budget alternative to traditional pet insurance, but for emergency situations only. It won’t help with regular bills associated with the maintenance needs of your cat. 

Ready to save your cat’s life? Head to Pawp: https://pawp.com/

8.    Eusoh

PROS

• They reimburse for injuries, illness, annual checkups, cancer, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, surgeries, prescribed medications, alternative treatments, wellness care.
• They have a 10/10 Consumer Voice rating.
• They promise transparent fee statements with no hidden fees. You pay for membership and care contributions (plus debit/credit cards transaction fees). 
• You can use your own vet.
• No age or breed restriction.

CONS

• They don’t cover supplements.
• The maximum reimbursement per cat is $8,500 per year.

Eusoh is not technically pet insurance but we’ve included it on this comparison list because it works in a similar way, offering similar benefits. It's a group plan for a community of pet owners that pay money into a shared pool that you access to help pay for your cat’s vet bills. It’s different from insurance in that you don’t pay a monthly premium. Instead, you deposit money into the shared pool. The money you put in is rolled over to the next month if you or other pool members don’t use the funds . They also offer a 24/7 telehealth service. 

Cool cats head to Eusoh: https://eusoh.com/

9.    Spot

PROS

• They cover hereditary conditions like heart disease, eye disorders and hip dysplasia. 
• They cover chronic issues like diabetes and arthritis.
• Some alternative therapies that would be a treat for old cats are also covered like acupuncture, physiotherapy, chiropractic care, rehabilitative therapy and hydrotherapy.
• No limit on age.

CONS

• They don’t cover pre-existing conditions.
• Your premium is based on your cat's age and breed.

Spot insurance provides cover for your cat in case of accidents, illnesses and emergencies. Their plans also help pay for vet examination fees by reimbursing you some portion of your bill. They do also offer preventative care packages. In general, your cat’s age will affect the premium – as well as its breed, and where your pet lives. The cost of the insurance depends on what plan you choose and if you have included preventative care or not. It’s sad to think about, but if your old cat dies because of a covered condition, they pay end-of-life expenses for euthanasia, burial and cremation.

Cautious cats want Spot coverage: https://spotpetins.com/

10.   Pumpkin

PROS

• You can use your own choice of vet.
• They cover accidents, illnesses, veterinary care      and services.
• Hereditary conditions are covered.
• They offer a 90% cashback reimbursement on covered vet bills.

CONS

• They don’t cover pre-existing conditions.
• Your cat’s age is a factor in determining the price of your insurance plan.

Pumpkin Pet insurance provides the same coverage for old cats as every other pet, including extensive accident and illness coverage. They cover 90% of eligible vet fees for accidents and illnesses. They also offer an optional preventative care pack for routine wellness upkeep. Premiums on coverage for older cats could be higher, but some of their inclusions could be useful with hereditary conditions, dental issues, some alternative therapies and prescription food and supplements covered. They provide cover for eye, ear and skin conditions. Treatments for conditions like hip dysplasia, orthopedic injuries, advanced care, cancer and diagnostics are also covered. 

Clever cats can compare Pumpkin insurance here: https://www.pumpkin.care/