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You may have always wanted to own a kitten. You may have succumbed to the pleading of your children who want a cuddly kitten as the ideal pet. For whatever reason, you have consciously introduced a small, loveable animal into your family. Before you know it, you are responsible for a creature that will quickly win its way around the hearts of you and the rest of your household and you can never imagine life without it. So think for a while of the practicalities of being the owner of a kitten. It may have come to you as a free gift from a friend whose cat has given birth. On the other hand, you may have paid many hundreds of pounds for a pedigree Siamese or Burmese kitten with a name a yard long. Whichever the case, it will need the best of care to ensure that it has a long, happy and healthy life and guarantee you many years of pleasure.
Kittens, like all small animals are vulnerable to disease and tend to be accident prone as they explore their new environment. Therefore, it will come as no surprise to discover that visits to the local Veterinary Surgeon can become a regular occurrence. Consider the facts:
- Annually, a third of all kittens suffer an injury or develop an illness that requires medical intervention.
- Vets' bills for relatively short treatments are often in excess of two or three hundred pounds and the cost of treating a kitten with a broken leg may be as much as a thousand pounds or more.
- Some reports indicate that inflation in respect of veterinary bills is running at around 11 per cent each year.
- If it can be shown that your kitten caused an accident or damage, it is possible that you may be held liable.
Don't let all this put you off owning a kitten. Think insurance. These days, insuring your kitten and indeed any pet, is vital. Insurance is easily available and for a few pounds per month, you can obtain the most comprehensive cover that will remove the anxiety of affording medical treatment and the subsequent aftercare of your pet. All Insurance policies vary from insurer to insurer. Certain breeds with adverse medical histories will of course be more expensive. Routine treatments and existing conditions will not be covered. There will be exclusion clauses and there will almost certainly be a capped limit on costs covered.
Premiums will increase with the age of the pet and of course, different breeds will attract differing insurance costs. Some policies insure the heavy legal costs in the event of defending a claim against you for injury as a result of the actions of your pet and the cost of caring for your pet if you are incapacitated.
Kitten insurance – like any other form of insurance is only useful when you need it. But can you afford those vet's fees. A solid insurance policy may in the worst case scenario, relieve you from a painful decision based on cost and can ensure that your kitten grows into a happy cat.
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