Pet Insurance for Cats?

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

 About a year ago, after reading of DK'ers experiences with high and unexpected vet bills, DH and I discussed insuring Tara and at the same time discussed insuring our cat Amber. We ended up purchasing insurance for Tara but reasoned that since Amber is primarily a house cat  and only goes outside on a harness and tether  with supervision that her risk of injury or disease was low. We decided not to insure her for now.

 

BIG MISTAKE!  Last month we took Amber to the vet for a routine physical and teeth cleaning. It turns out she has something called FORL (feline ordontoclastic resorptive lesions). This happens when "something" causes the body to reabsorb the teeth.   According to the American Veterinary Dental Forum it it is believed that  if your cat is 5 years or older there is a 72% chance the they have this condition.  But they aren't sure exactly how many have it because people typically do not give cats the medical care that they do dogs.  They also don't know what causes it or how to stop it.  It has nothing to do with brushing or getting cavities.

 

So far we are in about $300 and she has not had any work done yet. She will need two teeth extracted which is the only thing that vets know to do to alleviate the severe pain that comes with later stages of the condition.  We have an estimate of $800+ for the actual work. EEK!!

 

So of course now it is too late to get insurance for this issue which will be considered pre existing. Some cats only have one or two teeth effected others lose nearly all of their teeth to it over time so it could be on going for quite a while as Amber is only 6 years old. Our previous 2 cats lived to be 18.

 

I guess I am just wanting to give you food for thought about insurance for your kitties even if they are house cats and also about this condition.  Perhaps you might consider familiarizing yourself with this dental issue so you can determine if your cat is developing these lesions BEFORE your vet visit so you don't get blindsided like we did!! Here are a couple  sites showing pictures of FORL but it starts below the gum surface so in early stages it can only be detected with dental x-ray.

 

http://www.dentalvet.com/patients/cats/could_my_cat_have_a_forl.htm

 

 

http://www.mypetsdentist.com/site/view/113044_ToothResorption.pml

 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Oh, thanks Ricki! I actually just took out pet insurance for my cat. I hope Amber doesn't need to have all of her teeth removed! poor poor kitty cat. I think 72% of cats sounds high to me, is this really true?? I have never even heard of this condition.

 

I hope the extraction goes smoothly for Amber!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks Sherri! I really hate it when any of the animals have a "procedure!!  I don't think they really know how many cats have this condition. I have heard everything from 20 to 50 to 70 percent!!!  I think it is because many cats never get evaluated by a doctor :( At first the theory was that it was caused by too much Vitamin D in the diet. Now the most current belief is that it is caused by NOT ENOUGH Vitamin D in the diet. So that kind of gives you a clue about how clueless they are about this condition!

 

I'm glad you got insurance for your kitty! Wish I had been that smart!!!