When should you insure your kitten?

As a pet parent, keeping your newest family member safe and happy is naturally top of mind, plus we all want to get our insurance out of the way so we can focus on the fun stuff. But when should you insure your new kitten, and what options are available? Let’s take a look at the best time to insure your kitten . When to insure new kittens, at a glance: When should you insure your kitten? Getting insurance depends on you, your circumstances and your lifestyle. There are benefits to setting up your kitten's cover for the day you bring them home, especially before their very first trip to the vet. Because we cover kittens from four weeks old, you can arrange your plan in advance so it starts on the day. Why some pet parents insure a kitten early What age can you insure a kitten from? Most UK insurers will insure kittens from as young as eight weeks old, although we’ll provide cover from four weeks old. The best time to insure your new kitten depends entirely on your preference, but some pet parents take out cover as early as they can to help protect their kitten from day one (but do note that you can only buy cover if you’re the legal owner of the pet). This is because every UK insurer applies a waiting period for new pet insurance, typically 14 days. During this time, any new symptoms become a pre-existing condition rather than a covered one. If you already have another pet and want to bring them to ManyPets, we can remove the waiting period if you’ve been with another insurer for 12 continuous months until your policy start date with us. Plus, you’ll get a multi-pet discount of up to 15% when you bring them on board. Confused? Read our guide on waiting periods here. Your first month with your new kitten When you bring home your new family member, those first few weeks feel like magic, and there’s a lot to get used to! Here’s what happens to your cover at each stage: How long does it take for pet insurance cover to start? With ManyPets, our cover for accidents starts 48 hours after your policy begins, and cover for illness starts after 14 days. Most UK insurers include a waiting period for new pet policies, though the exact number of days varies by provider. This isn’t relevant for new kittens, but if you already have a pet insurance plan and have been with your provider for at least 12 continuous months, we waive the 14-day waiting period to give you seamless cover when you switch. What happens if you wait? If a vet notes, treats or diagnoses a condition before your plan starts, or during the waiting period, it can be recorded as pre-existing and excluded from cover for the rest of your policy. Taking out cover to begin as soon as you bring your new kitten home, not after, could lower the chances of this happening. We know it’s complicated, so it’s always worth reading about pre-existing conditions carefully when you take out your plan. But generally: younger kittens are less likely to get ill, so getting cover in place can lower the chances of pre-existing conditions popping up. Is it ever too late to insure a kitten? We don’t think so. With our pet insurance plans, there’s no upper age limit for insuring senior dogs and older cats , so you can make sure your kitten is fully covered whenever you think is best. When’s the best time to insure a rescue or rehomed kitten? It depends on you and your circumstances. Some pet parents benefit from setting up cover the day they bring a rescue kitten home. We suggest asking for your kitten's medical history beforehand, if known, so you know exactly where you stand and whether any of their conditions will be treated as pre-existing. Is saving instead of insuring a good alternative for new kittens? Some pet parents prefer to set money aside each month instead of paying for insurance. But this only works if your savings pot is large enough for when your kitten needs it. New kittens can still need vet visits and treatment in their first year before a self-funded pot has had time to grow. This is your decision: insurance needs to work around you, your lifestyle and, of course, your new family member. When to insure your kitten: FAQs Is it too late to insure my cat if I've already had them for a few months? No. With us, you can get insurance at any time, but any condition that has already shown signs or symptoms, or received medication, advice or treatment, by the time you take out cover will usually be excluded as pre-existing. New conditions that develop after your plan starts could still be covered as normal. What happens if my kitten sees a vet before the plan starts? It depends on why your kitten is going to a vet. Pet insurance doesn’t cover routine treatment, like vaccinations, anyway, but if it’s for a medical condition, you’ll need to pay for it yourself. The condition a vet finds during this time could be treated as pre-existing if you make a claim for it later, too. Should I insure a rescue or rehomed kitten the same way? Yes. Rescues and rehomed kittens are still family members, so we think they need good insurance when you bring them to their new home. It’s a good idea to ask the rescue centre or previous pet parent for their medical history, if known, so you understand their history and whether any conditions will count as pre-existing.

When should you insure your kitten?

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