Is Pet Insurance Worth It for a Kitten?

Are you welcoming a new kitten into your family? It’s a joyous time that can also come with many expenses to consider. Ensuring your kitten’s safety and health with the help of pet insurance can be a great way to keep them playing and exploring the world around them.

We’ve put together some reasons why pet insurance may be worth it for kittens so you can make an informed decision. 

Should You Get Pet Insurance for Your Kitten?

Kitten parents could spend anywhere from $400 – $700 or more on their kitty's health care in the first year alone.¹ Vaccinations, neutering or spaying, and other preventive care are just a few expected costs.

But the curiosity of the average cat is well known, and it can get even the most well-behaved kitten into trouble. An emergency trip to the vet could cost up to $1,500 or more.¹

Enrolling your cat in a policy earlier might help you feel more financially prepared for unexpected, and potentially costly, vet visits. And as your kitten gets older, pet insurance is there to continue helping you support their health needs.

Here are six other reasons to get pet insurance for your kitten.

1. Kittens may have lower premiums

Pet insurance rates for kittens can be cheaper than for older pets because they’re typically considered healthier to insure. As your cat gets older, they may naturally need more health care, so the cost of pet insurance also tends to increase. Take advantage of lower premiums by enrolling your kitten at an early age. At MetLife Pet, cat insurance plans start at $7 per month.²

2. Kittens require extra first-year routine appointments

Routine exams and care are especially important in a kitten’s first year — and you may spend more time at the vet’s office to make sure your little one is healthy.

Wellness services — like core vaccinations, heartworm prevention, spaying and neutering, and more — can add to already-expensive care costs. Core kitten vaccines can cost around $200 or more, and a spay or neuter procedure could be $165 – $250.¹

Adding a Preventive Care plan to your MetLife Pet policy may help you cover some of these routine costs during this crucial time in your kitten’s life.

3. Kitten curiosity could lead to frequent accidents

Kittens love to explore their brand-new world, but exploration can get them into sticky situations. They might chew on small objects, eat human medication, or get into other poisonous items throughout the home. In addition to these hazards, kittens can also suffer from paw or leg injuries, which may require immediate attention.

“I had a cat patient [who] was a newly adopted kitten from the shelter… not 3 days after being adopted did the cat fall off the staircase and break [their] femoral head, which needed orthopedic surgery to correct.” — Dr. Hunter Finn

Broken bones that need corrective surgery could cost up to $3,000 or more. And if your kitty ate something they shouldn’t, toxicity treatment and intestinal blockage surgeries can also be pricey — up to $5,000 or $7,000, respectively.³

Accident-related vet expenses — like emergency care, surgeries, diagnostic imaging, and more — could be covered under a MetLife Pet policy. So when loveable kitten antics go awry, your finances are also protected.

4. Kittens may face unique health concerns

Kittens, like most young animals, have developing immune systems, and that can mean they’re more susceptible to illnesses. Whether you have an indoor or outdoor kitty, diseases like feline distemper, parasites, and respiratory infections can be common. Diagnosis, treatment, and recovery could cost anywhere from $200 to over $3,500.⁴

Major illnesses can be costly, but minor occurrences of ear infections, scratches, upset stomachs, and hairballs might require more frequent vet trips — and more dipping into your funds.

Illness-related costs — like ultrasounds, blood work, prescription medication, hospitalizations, and more — can be reimbursed with pet insurance.⁵ When treatments become more financially accessible, kittens can receive the care needed and return their focus to play.

5. You can reduce pre-existing condition exclusions later in life

Pet insurance typically doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, so it can be beneficial to get a policy when your kitten is young and healthy. Something as simple as a urinary tract infection (UTI) or allergies could be deemed pre-existing conditions if they showed up before your kitten was covered. You can help limit those types of exclusions by enrolling your cat as early as possible.

While any cat can develop various health conditions, some breeds may be more prone to experiencing certain ones — like hip dysplasia in Maine coons or progressive retinal atrophy in Siamese. Enrolling them in pet insurance as a kitten can help ensure they’re covered if they develop hereditary conditions later in life.

6. You could get reimbursed on cat health care

The earlier you enroll your kitten in a pet insurance policy, and keep them enrolled, the more you could prepare for vet bills throughout their life.

Consider hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats. This disease is incurable but can be managed through medications, procedures, and regular vet exams. Costs could add up to $2,500 or more and be spread out through the rest of their life.⁶ If your kitty isn’t covered by pet insurance before they’re diagnosed, you could be paying expensive vet bills for a lifelong illness.

Even singular vet visits to care for a torn nail, fractured tooth, or bee sting can add up over the course of your cat’s life. Getting them coverage as a kitten can help.

Tips for Finding the Right Insurance Plan for Kittens

The right plan for your kitten can be found by taking a look at a few key considerations.

• Coverage: Compare coverage options between providers. Download sample policies to make sure you know what the exclusions are and what’s reimbursable.
• Waiting periods: Look at the waiting periods across providers so you know when you could start using your benefits. Some waiting periods may be shorter than others.
• Customization options: Compare policy reimbursement rates, deductibles, and annual limits across providers and plans. These can change your monthly premium, so it’s a good idea to find the level of coverage that works for you.
• Optional wellness plans: Consider optional wellness plans you can add to a policy that reimburse you for the routine expenses you pay the most.

MetLife Pet offers kitten insurance with reimbursements of up to 90% on covered vet expenses, an optional Preventive Care plan that can help reimburse you for routine costs, and a 0-day waiting period on accidents and Preventive Care.^5,7

Consider MetLife Pet Insurance for Kittens

The bottom line? The sooner you get pet insurance for your new feline friend, the more it could help you protect their health and your wallet.

You can enroll your kitten in a MetLife Pet Insurance policy once they’re 8 weeks old and keep them covered through all of life’s adventures. Ready to start your journey? Pounce on your free quote today!