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Cat insurance
Written by
Madeline Pettet
Edited by
Laura Crowden
Reviewed by
Adrian BennettiSelect does not offer a comparison service for Pet insurance policies at this time. Our advice on this website is general in nature and does not consider your situation or needs. Consider if any advice is appropriate for you before acting on it. Learn more.
What is cat insurance?
Cat insurance is pet insurance for your cat, helping to cover the costs of a range of different vet visits, like if your cat is accidentally injured or is unexpectedly falls ill. What’s covered and how much you’ll get back on vet bills depends on your cat insurance policy.
Why is cat insurance important?
Cats, like any other kind of pet, can unexpectedly become unwell or injured (and they may not show signs until the problem has become serious). Insurance for your cat can help cover some of these unexpected costs, hopefully making a stressful time a little less difficult.
What are the different types of cat insurance?
Pet insurance for cats can be broken into four main cover types, including for accidents only; for accidents and illnesses; for accidents, illnesses and some routine vet care; and optional extras, like dental treatments or help with behavioural problems.
Accident-only cat insurance
Accident-only cat insurance helps pay for the diagnosis and treatment of injuries your cat could sustain in an unexpected accident. Each accident-only pet insurance policy may define an accident slightly differently, but usually the event that caused the injury needs to have been unforeseen and unintended, like your cat being hit by a car or being bitten by a snake.
Accident and illness cat insurance
Accident and illness pet insurance includes cover for both eligible accidents and eligible illnesses, like injuries from being attacked by another animal, or illnesses and conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Depending on the policy terms, you might not be able to claim for an illness that cats are recommended to be routinely vaccinated against, like cat flu, if your cat isn’t up to date with its jabs.
Comprehensive cat insurance
A comprehensive cat insurance policy typically comes with greater coverage for accidents and illnesses, like a higher annual claims limit, and often with some routine care cover included, like an annual vet check and preventative worming. If you’re the kind of pet owner who likes to have their pet’s health regularly checked and wants a higher level of cover for unexpected vet expenses, comprehensive cover might appeal.
Optional extras for cat insurance
A pet insurer might offer additional coverage options on their cat insurance so you can have more illnesses and treatments covered. This can include cover for dental illnesses (like gingivitis), behavioural problems (like excessive licking or anxiety), and specialised therapies such as acupuncture and hydrotherapy. Other handy features might be included, too, like emergency boarding.
What’s typically covered by cat insurance?
Depending on your chosen policy, cat insurance can cover many common injuries and illnesses, including diagnostics and treatments for these conditions, as well as some routine care.
Depending on your chosen policy, cat insurance can cover many common injuries and illnesses, including diagnostics and treatments for these conditions, as well as some routine care..
While what’s covered can vary between cat insurance options, you’ll usually see the following covered under accidental injuries:
- ingesting a foreign object.
- bite wounds
- cuts, grazes and lacerations
- fractured or broken bones
- damaged ligaments and soft tissue injuries
- heatstroke
- burns
- poisoning
- electrocution
- allergic reactions to insects and spiders
- injuries from car accidents
Similarly, common illnesses covered under cat insurance include:
- ear infections
- skin allergies
- conjunctivitis
- diabetes
- gastroenteritis
- heart disease
- urinary tract disease
- kidney disease
- cancer
- hyperthyroidism
- common vaccinatable diseases (if your cat is up to date with their vaccinations)
- tick paralysis
- arthritis.
If you take out optional extra or additional cover on your cat insurance, this could include:
- dental illnesses, like gingivitis and periodontal disease
- behavioural conditions, like excessive licking and pacing
- routine care, like health checks and vaccinations
- dental care, like check-ups and teeth cleaning (scales and polishes)
- alternative therapies, like acupuncture.
What does cat insurance typically not cover?
Pet insurance for cats typically doesn’t include illnesses and injuries that could have been reasonably prevented (think vaccinations and desexing), pre-existing conditions, some kinds of routine vet care and even older cats.
Exclusions on cat insurance cover can vary by policy, but you’ll likely find the following are not covered on most pet insurance policies for cats:
older cats (often 9 years or older) starting a new policy (although cats over this age limit can usually continue to renew their existing cover).
- pre-existing conditions (as in a condition your pet had before you took out the policy, including during the policy waiting period) unless it has been previously deemed ‘fully cured’ and your pet has not shown symptoms or needed treatment for at least 12 months
- injuries or illnesses that could have been prevented by desexing your cat, like prostate issues and mammary tumours
- injuries or illnesses from parasites that could have been reasonably prevented, like fleas, ticks and heartworm
- illnesses that could have been prevented by regular vaccination, like cat flu
- routine vet care, like desexing and microchipping
Helpful tip
It’s easy to lose track of time when there’s a kitten around but taking out cat insurance sooner rather than later can be a way look out for your new little furry friend for years to come.
Setting your cat up with a pet insurance policy when they’re young can minimise the risk of having a range of conditions excluded as pre-existing. A younger pet with fewer health risks may also enjoy a lower premium.
Depending on the cover you choose, it could also be good motivation to keep up with your cat’s regular health checks and routine care, like vaccinations. This is because cat insurance might exclude preventable illnesses if your cat isn’t up to date with its vaccinations (a recent vaccination is often also a pre-requisite for booking your pet into boarding accommodation when you’re going away).
Adrian Bennett
General Manager for General Insurance
How much does cat insurance cost?
On average, Australians spent $795 annually on cat insurance in 2022, according to Animal Medicines Australia. However, only 21% of pet owners had cat insurance,1Animal Medicines Australia – Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people, p47 with that figure dropping to 14% by the end of March 2025.2Animal Medicines Australia – Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people, p65
This is interesting given that the majority of cat owners (68%) had taken their cat to the vet in the last 6 months3Animal Medicines Australia – Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people, p56 and the average annual vet cost ($154) was over 2 months’ worth of the average premium ($132.50).4Animal Medicines Australia – Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people, p45 Potentially, more cat owners could be getting value for money from cat insurance, particularly if they are regularly taking their furry friend to the vet for more than routine care.
Having cat insurance may make a difference for the 22% of cat owners who said they didn’t take their pet to the vet in the last 12 months because they couldn’t afford vet consultation fees and/or the cost of medicines/procedures.5Animal Medicines Australia – Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people, p56
Of course, the cost of your pet insurance premiums will depend on certain risk factors for your cat, in particular your cat’s breed and age, as well as the level of cover you choose, and whether you’d like to add an optional routine care benefit to the policy. It’s all about weighing up the premium cost against the benefits of cover, and choosing a pet insurance product that offers you value for money without breaking the bank.
‘Think indoor cats can’t get up to much trouble? Think again.
In the few short years I’ve had cat sisters Yowie and Min Min, I’ve learnt to put away any and all string, otherwise it’s a race to get it out of their mouths before they start slurping it down like spaghetti. But one night I forgot about the sewing machine.
Fast-forward 48 hours, I was signing an agreement to pay $7,400 (and paying 50% of it on the spot) for both cats to undergo surgery to get that tasty sewing thread out of their tummies. That was the discounted price, too, since the vet felt so bad for me dealing with double the drama!
Suddenly a regular pet insurance premium didn’t seem like all that much, especially when the vet was explaining that the costs could be higher depending on just how much damage my girls had done to themselves. (Thankfully, both girls came through exceptionally well, but I can’t quite say the same about my bank balance.)‘
Madeline Pettet
Senior Digital Writer
Is cat insurance worth it?
Cat insurance could give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if something unexpected happened to your pet, you wouldn’t have to worry about money when deciding on their treatment, can be invaluable. And many cat owners may feel the cost of insurance has been well worth it when faced with an unexpected and expensive treatment bill. Of course, as with anything, there are both pros and cons to cat insurance.
Pros of cat insurance
- choice in range of cover
- option to add further routine cover
- different flexible options to adjust premium, like picking benefit percentages and excess
- peace of mind if your pet has an emergency
- motivation to look after pet, including undertaking preventative care and responding quickly to changes in behaviour and wellbeing.
Cons of cat insurance
- exclusions to what is covered, including pre-existing conditions
- can be expensive for higher level of cover
- age limited for new members, like pets being under 9 years old to start a policy
- annual benefit limits, including sub-limits, might be quickly met for more serious or complex conditions
- might not use cover in a given year if only for accidents and illnesses.
Factors like range of cover and premium costs can mean pet insurance might be worthwhile for some pet owners and not for others. At the end of the day, it’s a decision for you to make as you consider how you want to look after your feline friend and if cat insurance would be worthwhile.
What should I look for when comparing cat insurance?
Just like every cat is different, there can be plenty of differences between cat insurance policies, including benefit percentages, claim limits, excesses and waiting periods. When comparing cat insurance, some of these features may be more important to you than others.
Benefit percentages
Benefit percentages are how much you get back on a claim on your cat insurance. For instance, your policy might come with an 80% benefit percentage. This means you’d get 80% back on an eligible claim. So, for a $1,000 vet treatment, your pet insurer would pay $800 while you have a $200 out-of-pocket cost (excluding any excess).
Claim limits
Claim limits are caps on how much you can get back through your cat insurance for the policy period, typically annually. Your policy might come with an overall annual limit, like $15,000. It can also have sub-limits which apply to certain kinds of treatment or claims. For instance, if you have routine care as an optional extra on your policy, you might only be able to claim $100 back on vaccinations for the year.
Excesses
An excess is an out-of-pocket cost you pay before the pet insurance company covers your claim. You might be able to choose from a range of excess options for your cat cover, like $0 or $100, with a higher excess often helping lower your premium. You might like to keep in mind that you won’t be able to make a claim for an eligible vet expense unless it costs more than your excess. So, if your cat needed a $50 treatment but your excess was $100, you’d need to handle the $50 out of pocket.
Waiting periods
When you take out a cat insurance policy, you’ll need to serve any applicable waiting periods before you can start claiming. These waiting periods can be quite short, like only a couple of days for accidental injuries, or longer like 6 months for cruciate ligament conditions.
iSelect does not offer a comparison service for Pet insurance policies at this time.
Any advice provided by iSelect on this website is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice we give you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on our advice or purchasing any policy. You should consider iSelect’s Financial Services Guide which provides information about our services and your rights as a client of iSelect.