You just moved to The Netherlands and you took your cat with you. Just like insuring yourself, you might need to get insurance for your cat too. What if something happens? Or your cat is not feeling well all of a sudden? Also, how much will it cost to insure your cat?
Even though you’d give all the money in the world to make your pet feel like the best version of themselves, unexpected costs are not fun to have. This might want to make you consider getting cat insurance. But, what does it all involve? We have made a convenient overview of some available cat insurance in The Netherlands to help you decide on what you want to do.
What Are Cat Insurances?
Cat insurance offers partial or full coverage of medical costs for your pet. Most of the time, insurance providers offer different packages, rules, and coverages, which makes it hard to choose between them and know what the costs would be.
What Are the Costs of Cat Insurance?
How much it will cost is dependent on how much you can pay and which insurance you prefer. There are a few factors that do make it more or less expensive, such as: how old is your cat? What breed is it? But also: what’s your budget? And what kind of insurance package is the best suited for your cat?
Which Cat Insurances Are Available for You?
We have collected a few cat insurances in the Netherlands to show you what your options are.
| Cat insurance from From | Dog insurance from | Coverage | Contribution | Own risk | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
€8.46 | €12.11 | €3.250 — €6.000 | 10% — 50% | €0 — €150 per year |
View |
|
€14.05 | €17.77 | €3.000 — €6.000 | 20% | €30 — €50 per year |
View |
|
€12.16 | €17.42 | €3.000 — €5.000 | 20% — 50% | €0 — €250 per year |
View |
|
€13.27 | €20,14 | €3.000 — €6.000 | 20% | none | View |
|
€13.86 | €14.67 | €2.500 — €5.000 | 20% | none | View |
|
€10.56 | €13.14 | €3.500 | 25% | €25 per claim |
View |
OHRA
First, we will discuss OHRA, an insurance company where you can insure your cat by picking one of the three available packages.
| Package | Basic | Plus | Top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly costs | from €14.05 per month | - | - |
| Max. reimbursement | €3000,- | €4000,- | €5000,- |
| Reimbursement per declaration | 80% | 80% | |
| Excess (per year) | €30,- | €30,- | €30,- |
| Coverage consult vet | €100,- | €150,- | €200,- |
What Does OHRA Cover?
- Operations & anesthesia
- Admission and nursing care in a veterinary clinic
- Purchase and placement of an identification chip
- Examinations, such as ultrasound, X-ray, blood tests, MRI, medications, compulsory feeding, and tube feeding
- The medicinal treatment of tumors, blood transfusion, medical devices, such as bandages, insulin pens, and orthopedic shoes
- Diagnosis and treatment of all disorders of hips and elbows
- Euthanasia
- Specialist treatments
- Video calls with a veterinarian
What Does OHRA Not Cover?
- Pre-existing conditions before taking out insurance
- Medications that are not registered in the Netherlands
Additional Coverages
OHRA does have additional coverages where you can insure your pet for vaccinations, cremation, and traveling. If you want to add it to your package insurance, it will increase the monthly payment to cover it. However, when you get additional coverage, you don’t pay any extra excess. Do keep in mind that the additional coverages aren’t always an 80% reimbursement, this differs between each of the coverages.
Estimating what you will be paying is always hard because every cat is different. To calculate, you can always use the calculator on the OHRA website.
Figo
The second insurance we will be talking about is Figo (former Petplan). Just like OHRA, they also offer three different insurance packages.
| Package | Basic | Plus | Top |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly costs | v.a. €12.16 per month | - | - |
| Max. reimbursement | €3000,- | €4000,- | €5000,- |
| Reimbursement per declaration | 50 - 80% | 50 - 80% | 50 - 80% |
| Excess (per year) | €0 - €250,- | €0 - €250,- | €0 - €250,- |
If you want your cat to be insured for specialized care, castration, and sterilization, it is advised to get the plus or total package, as the basic package does not cover this.
What Does Figo Cover?
- Consultation with a veterinarian or specialist
- X-rays, ultrasound, blood tests, and blood pressure measurements
- Video calls with a veterinarian
- Operations including anesthesia
- Medicines registered by the Dutch government and prescribed by a veterinarian
- Euthanasia, including the abandonment of the pet
- (Surgical) treatment of hip and elbow diseases in dogs
- Knee disorders
- Skin allergies (including medication)
- Treatment at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht
- Behavioral therapy
- Physical therapy
- Alternative care
What Does Figo Not Cover?
- Pre-existing conditions
- Rehabilitation
- Dietary nutrition and nutritional supplements
- Orthodontics of the teeth
- Treatments that will not benefit the animal
- Research deceased pet
Additional Coverages
If you get the basic package, you need to get additional coverage for castration, and sterilization. Other additional coverages you can get for all packages are for chemo- and radiotherapy, cremation, and travel. Do keep in mind that the monthly payments will go up according to which additional coverages you get. To exactly know what you will be paying, we advise you to calculate your costs on the Figo website.
Petsecur
Petsecur is another company you could get your cat insurance at. They also offer three different packages.
| Package | Basis (basic) | Standaard (standard) | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly costs | v.a. €8.46 per month | - | - |
| Max. reimbursement | €3250,- | €4000,- | €6000,- |
| Reimbursement per declaration | 50% | 70% | 90% |
| Excess (per year) | €0 - €150,- | €0 - €150,- | €0 - €150,- |
What Does Petsecur Cover?
A basic package at Petsecur covers the following:
- Consultation and examination
- Treatment at the vet
- Medicine
- Euthanasia
- Advertisements in case of missing pets
- Surgery at the vet
- Chemotherapy
- Laser therapy
- Radiotherapy
For the next matters, you need a ‘standaard’ or ‘extra’ package:
- Alternative medicine
- Animal ambulance
- Resources
- Intensive care
- Hip/elbow surgery
- MRI scans and CT scans
What Does Petsecur Not Cover?
- Existing conditions before you buy your insurance
- Congenital or inherited conditions
- Dietary supplements or dietary foods
Additional Coverages
Apart from all of these coverages, you do need additional coverage for dental care, cremation, castration/sterilization & preventive care. It does not matter which package you choose. Petsecur also offers the option to calculate the costs on its website.
Aegon
Aegon only has one available cat insurance package.
| Package | Basis |
|---|---|
| Monthly costs | From €10.56 per month |
| Max. reimbursement (per year) | €2500,- |
| Reimbursement per declaration | 75% |
| Excess (per claim) | 25% (min. €25,-) |
What Does Aegon Cover?
- A consultation with a veterinarian.
- Admission and treatment if medically necessary.
- Necessary examinations to diagnose a condition or injury caused by an accident.
- Veterinary medicines registered in the Netherlands.
- Aids for healing such as bandages and implants.
What Does Aegon Not Cover?
- Vaccination
- Sterilization/Castration
Additional Coverages
There is an option to get coverage for travel and cremation. Please note that cremation for cats is covered by a maximum of €100.
It is also important to note that Aegon has an aging surcharge. This means that when your cat gets older, the premium increases with them. To exactly know what you will be paying, you can visit the Aegon website to calculate it.
How Much Is It if You Pay For Everything Yourself?
If you decide to not get a cat insurance, what would the costs be? Would it make a big difference? We made an overview
| Section | Costs* |
|---|---|
| Veterinarian consultation/visit | Between €45 and €55 per visit |
| Preventive care | Around €100,- |
| Castration/sterilization | Male cat: €50,- Female cat: €125 Laparoscopic sterilization €200. |
| Vaccinations | Varies per vaccination. For cats: sneeze disease together: €21.50, Bordetella: €22.50 Rabies: €25,- (per 3 years) |
| X-ray | €97,- |
| Surgeries | €200 - €1500, sometimes even €3000, (depending on the procedure.) |
| Anesthesia (separate) | €65,- |
| *These are general prices, they may vary from vet to vet. |
These costs are an estimate and might differ per place, this table is meant to give a general overview for those considering not getting cat insurance.
What to Keep In Mind
Waiting Time
In general, all cat insurance companies have a waiting time of 30 days. This means when you sign for the insurance if something happens with your cat in the first 30 days, it will not be reimbursed.
Senior Cat Insurance
If you have a senior cat and wonder if you can insure them, it will depend on the insurance company. Petplan states that it is not possible to insure a senior cat older than 11 years old, and Ohra insures cats up to 7 years. If you already had insurance at Ohra and your cat turns older than 7, they do allow it to continue. At Petsecur it is also not possible to insure cats older than 7. The best option is to ask the insurance companies what is possible if you want to be sure.
Free Choice of Vet
Yes, all insurances mentioned in this article allow you to choose your vet. When special care is needed, some insurances only allow certain hospitals. Ask the insurance company how this works.
Is It Worth Getting Cat Insurance?
| Cat insurance from From | Dog insurance from | Coverage | Contribution | Own risk | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
€8.46 | €12.11 | €3.250 — €6.000 | 10% — 50% | €0 — €150 per year |
View |
|
|
€14.05 | €17.77 | €3.000 — €6.000 | 20% | €30 — €50 per year |
View |
|
|
€12.16 | €17.42 | €3.000 — €5.000 | 20% — 50% | €0 — €250 per year |
View |
|
|
€13.27 | €20,14 | €3.000 — €6.000 | 20% | none | View |
|
|
€13.86 | €14.67 | €2.500 — €5.000 | 20% | none | View |
|
|
€10.56 | €13.14 | €3.500 | 25% | €25 per claim |
View |
Advantages
- You pay ahead for medical expenses.
- It gives you more financial leeway in case something happens.
- Recurring expenses are usually covered. (Think of vaccinations, for example)
- Less stress if something does go wrong with your cat.
- You know approximately what costs you will incur on, say, a visit to the vet.
Disadvantages
- Coverage is not all-inclusive; you always pay for something.
- If you go over the maximum insured amount, you could have additional costs. It is unlikely, but still good to keep in mind.
- Not everything is covered. This also depends on the type of cat insurance you purchase.
- Premiums can be high. This may be because of your cat’s breed, age, or health problems.
- If your cat never has any medical issues, it could be a waste of your money to pay for it every month.
Conclusion
Whether you choose to get or not get cat insurance depends on what you prefer. It is certainly difficult, and while we hope we helped you make the choosing process a bit easier, the best option is to contact the insurance if you have any specific questions.
Looking for answers without having to wait a long time for an answer? Schedule an instant video consultation with our qualified veterinarians and get tailored advice from the comfort of your home – today.
