Who needs insurance?

When the vet told me that I was looking at a bill between $600 and $1,200 for our $65 kitten I had to consider my options.

Smudge had survived a dog attack with a punctured lung, punctured diaphragm and broken ribs. Being a confident little guy, he probably didn't appreciate the danger he was in.

Even though we hadn't owned him for long he was a lovable member of the family and the thought of putting him down wasn't pleasant - I'd probably have to spend thousands paying for my family to have grief therapy, and then when that didn't work, it would be thousands more at the drug & alcohol rehabilitation centres (just kidding)!

So we got him fixed up.

With hindsight, I wondered whether we should have considered pet insurance. I'm in the insurance business, so you would think it would be top of mind - but it wasn't. Insurance is rarely bought - it's normally 'sold'.

The pet shop that sold me the kitten didn't mention insurance & the vet hadn't previously mentioned insurance when Smudge had vaccinations or got neutered.

With the advances in veterinary care, animals have a greater chance of survival - often at great cost though, so insurance for pets should at least be recommended.

I know I should've bought it - but hindsight is a wonderful thing!