It is difficult to estimate the amount of veterinary expenses your new pet will incur. However one unavoidable cost is the vaccination programme to be carried out in the first year, i.e. 3 to 4 visits for an injection, each spaced one month apart. This will be followed by a booster shot every year. You’re looking at € 120 for the annual booster between the consultation and the vaccine. Also think about anti-parasitic treatment, against fleas, worms, ticks... If your cat goes outdoors, the treatment must be repeated every 3 months, at a cost of about € 30 each time. If your cat stays indoors, only one treatment per year is necessary.
In Luxembourg, the law obliges cat owners to have males castrated and females spayed. Castration costs around 150 euros, spaying your cat will cost you around 300 euros.
It is estimated that an average of two visits per year are necessary to a health professional. The price of consultations varies little and is around € 35 to € 45 depending on the practitioner (excluding travel costs).
It’s been a few months since Neige joined your family. By now, this little Siamese cat is well used to the neighbourhood and goes on a daily wander through the gardens. But on Thursday evening she didn't come home. She didn’t turn up the next day or the following days either. Plagued by worry, you fear the worst, until one morning, her little snout reappears behind the French window. She is covered with wounds.
You go to the vet. He disinfects the wounds and spots an abscess on the tail that will have to be cleaned via a minor surgical procedure. An operation that will cost you around € 250, anti-inflammatory included. „Cats are territorial animals” explains Doctor Julien Jadoulle, a home veterinarian in Luxembourg. „Fights between cats are commonplace and frequently lead to infected scratches on the face or back" adds the doctor.
After fights, what professionals call „accidents on the public highway", i.e. being hit by a car, are the second most common cause of surgery in cats. A fractured leg usually results in the fitting of a pin. The hips are also frequently damaged in this type of accident. Depending on the location of the fracture, it may consolidate on its own or require a hip prosthesis. „This type of orthopaedic surgery is becoming more and more common,” points out Dr Julien Jadoulle. These operations will leave you between € 1.000 and € 2.000 out of pocket, excluding hospitalisation costs. These are just two examples of the heavy unexpected expenses that can bite away at your savings.
To cope with these setbacks, more and more cat owners are opting for health insurance for their pet.
Cat health insurance covers veterinary consultations, hospitalisation, medicines and other treatments resulting from an accident or illness.
You choose the formula that suits you, depending on the amount you are ready to pay (the deductible) per consultation or hospitalisation: € 30, € 90 or € 150 for AXA Assurances Luxembourg's Pet Insurance cover. Whichever formula you choose, the total amount of reimbursements is set at a maximum of € 2.500 per annum.
As extra protection for young cats less than two years old, spaying/castration is covered, as is vaccination (without deductible).
Last but not least, one of the formula allows you to benefit from „assistance" extensions to cover search, animal ambulance or boarding costs if you have to be hospitalised.
Don’t forget that adopting a cat is a long-term commitment. Cat health insurance protects you financially against the risk of accidents and health problems. After all, a protected cat is a well-insured cat.