Cat Insurance
When your cat falls ill or gets hurt, Cat insurance helps cover the bill, then pays you back after the vet visit.
The average for a cat's accident and illness plan comes to $36 a month ($435 a year), according to the NAPHIA industry report. For accident-only coverage, the average price is $9 each month, or $112 over a year. In the meantime, American Veterinary Medical Association data puts annual vet spending for cat owners at $529, with $200 the average for a single visit.
Pet parents in North America hold policies for 7.6 million pets, yet just 2.29% of cats in the US carry coverage, based on NAPHIA market data. US dogs show a larger insured share at 5.99%, while 4.27% of all US pets hold a policy. Most companies accept a kitten starting at 6 to 8 weeks old, while many plans carry no upper age limit.
| Insurer | Monthly, cat | Accident wait | Illness wait | Oldest age to join |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $14 to $23 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $14 a month | 1 day | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $20 to $107 a month | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $15 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $17 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $23 to $51 a month | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $19 to $35 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $19 a month | 14 days | 14 days | Before age 9 |
 | $24 to $47 a month | No wait | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | $22 a month | No wait | 15 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 5 days | 30 days | Before age 14 |
 | not published | not published | not published | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 15 days | 15 days | Varies by state |
 | not published | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 5 days | 30 days | Before age 14 |
 | not published | 2 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | 14 days | not published |
 | not published | 14 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 5 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | 3 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | No wait | No wait | Before age 14 |
 | not published | 2 days | 14 days | No upper age limit |
 | not published | not published | not published | 13 years old |
 | not published | 15 days | 15 days | Before age 14 |
Sample prices: NerdWallet gathered sample quotes for each insurer; waiting periods and ages come from the published policy terms of each insurer.
What cat insurance covers
Most policies for pet insurance for cats fall into three groups: accident and illness coverage, accident-only coverage, and optional wellness coverage you can add on. Physical injuries fall under accident-only coverage, while combined accident and illness plans handle both injuries and sickness.
The health problems most often claimed for cats, per NAPHIA claims data, are:
- Stomach trouble and other digestive (GI) issues, including vomiting
- Dental illness
- Kidney disease and urinary tract infections
- Ear infections (otitis) and respiratory issues
- Endocrinology problems, specifically hyperthyroidism
- Anxiety or behavioral issues, plus arthritis and osteoarthritis
Vet exam fees are another difference: Spot includes them in its base plans, Lemonade sells coverage as an add-on, and Trupanion leaves them out. Before coverage begins, a new policy always has a waiting period, meaning the days after you sign up. MetLife Pet Insurance uses a 0-day wait for accidents, 14 days for illnesses. For Trupanion, the waits are 5 days for accidents, 30 days for illnesses.
How much cat insurance costs
For every type of policy, a cat costs less to insure each month than a dog does. The NAPHIA national report puts the average for a dog's accident and illness policy at $70 a month ($836 a year). Accident-only coverage for a dog averages $16 monthly, or $190 a year. With wellness coverage, cats average $72 a month ($859 a year), while dogs average $118 ($1,414 a year).
Another Forbes Advisor study covered 478,670 rates across 21 policies, all with a $5,000 yearly payout cap. It put the monthly rate for a cat at $24, against $56 for a dog.
For the exact same pet, prices still vary from company to company, beyond the national average cat insurance cost. Monthly quotes for a 2-year-old domestic shorthair ran from $14 to $24 (median $19) in a NerdWallet comparison of 13 insurers. Monthly figures published from that comparison of a 2-year-old domestic shorthair include:
- Lemonade and Figo: $14
- Pumpkin: $15
- Spot came in at $17
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Embrace, and Nationwide: $19
- Pets Best: $20.14
- Fetch: $22
- AKC Pet Insurance: $23
- MetLife Pet Insurance: $24
Every price shown is a published sample for one 2-year-old cat, not a fixed rate that applies to every household. When you check several insurers, you can see how much the monthly bill changes for one cat. What you'll pay depends on your state and which coverage settings you choose.
Cat insurance quotes
A quote form asks you for a few basic facts: your pet's age, breed, and your state. Once those details are in, you pick plan settings that change both your monthly price and the part of each vet bill you pay.
Start with a deductible: the dollars you pay yourself toward covered vet bills before your plan begins paying. Take deductibles, for example: the Forbes Advisor study used $250, and the MoneyGeek cost analysis used $500.
Then you pick a reimbursement rate, the percentage of a covered vet bill that the company pays back to you. Nationwide offers 50%, 70%, or 80%, while Costco Pet Insurance and Figo give you 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100% reimbursement. Many plans pay back 70%, 80%, or 90%. Reimbursement sits at 90% with both Fetch and Trupanion.
Last, you choose a yearly payout limit. Under a $5,000 limit, the Forbes Advisor study put a 3-year-old cat at $12 a month, rising to $34 a month with unlimited payouts. A 5-year-old cat's monthly average went from $26 to $41 when you switched a $5,000 limit to unlimited payouts.
Kittens, indoor cats, and senior cats
Staying indoors keeps cats away from many outdoor hazards, but common illnesses such as hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and urinary tract infections still occur. For animal insurance for cats, a kitten costs less to cover than an older cat, since health risks climb over time.
A MoneyGeek study looked at 67,000+ pet profiles from 18 insurers, modeling plans with a yearly limit of $5,000, a deductible of $500, and reimbursement of 80%. Average monthly prices by age:
- A kitten under 1 year: $23 monthly
- A young cat (4 years): $26 monthly
- Cat in its middle years (7-year-old baseline): $34 a month
- A senior cat (11 to 14 years): $62 monthly
For a 3-month-old kitten, the Forbes Advisor study found an average of $24 a month with a $5,000 limit, and $34 a month with unlimited coverage.
Trupanion enrolls kittens starting at birth, 0 to 7 weeks old. You can enroll at 6 weeks with Embrace or Fetch, at 7 weeks with Pets Best, and at 8 weeks with most others. Spot, Embrace, and Pumpkin place no upper age limit on older pets. Nationwide's Modular plan allows new illness enrollment only for cats 8 and younger. Enrollment with Chubb ends at 13 years old, while State Farm requires you to sign up before age 14.
Cat insurance including dental
NAPHIA's top feline health conditions list includes dental disease, though each insurer handles tooth and gum illness its own way. Whether treatment for a dental illness is covered rests with the company you select.
A number of companies include dental illness in the standard accident and illness plan they sell. The group includes Healthy Paws, Fetch, Trupanion, Costco Pet Insurance, Spot, MetLife Pet Insurance, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Figo, and Pumpkin.
Another set of providers treats dental benefits separately or limits them:
- Add-on coverage: For Lemonade, dental illness falls under a paid add-on only.
- Dental coverage with limits: Nationwide, Embrace, Pets Best, State Farm, GEICO, and AKC Pet Insurance offer dental illness coverage with limits.
- Excluded: Pawp leaves out dental illness under the emergency protection plan.
Read the policy restrictions page for the plan you picked before you sign up. A large number of insurers that cover dental illness also offer an optional wellness add-on, though Trupanion and Healthy Paws offer none.
Common questions
Can older, senior or elderly cats still get pet insurance?
Yes, companies including Chewy CarePlus, USAA, Odie, Wagmo, and Prudent Pet apply no upper age limit to new policies. Some insurers cap enrollment instead: ManyPets keeps writing new policies until age 14, and Aflac needs enrollment before the 14th birthday. If you enroll a cat at companies like Trupanion or ManyPets before the cutoff, coverage lasts for life.
Do you get a discount for two or multiple cats on cat insurance?
Published industry cost studies work out each quote per pet from age, breed, state, and coverage settings. Multi-pet discount percentages aren't in our policy data, so use an insurer's quote tool and enter every one of your cats to check for savings.
Does cat insurance include coverage for pre-existing conditions?
No standard plan covers a pre-existing condition: an illness or an injury your cat had before the waiting period on that policy ended. Providers such as Chewy CarePlus say in their policies that coverage applies only to new conditions, for pets of any age. Read the sample policy before you buy to learn how a company deals with earlier health problems.
Is paying for cat vet insurance worth it?
Line up annual vet bills with plan prices to see whether a policy suits your budget. At the vet, cat owners average $529 a year, while accident-only plans come to $112 a year on average and accident-illness plans to $435. With a policy, unpredictable clinic bills turn into a steady monthly payment.
Which company offers the cheapest cat insurance?
Because prices depend on your pet's deductible, location, and age, no single company is cheapest for every cat. For a cat at age 2, NerdWallet's sample quotes show Figo and Lemonade lowest at $14 a month, and Pumpkin at $15. Comparing quotes that use the same reimbursement rate and yearly limit gives you the clearest answer about your lowest rate.
Is pet insurance for a cat worth it?
A policy bought while a cat is young starts coverage before common problems show up, including urinary tract infections, GI trouble, and hyperthyroidism. Companies such as Progressive apply only a 3-day accident wait and 14-day illness wait. Picking between 70%, 80%, and 90% reimbursement rates helps you weigh what you pay each month against future vet bills.
Ask about plan pricing for your pet
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