Complete Care for Your Aging Cat - Amy Shojai [14]
Owners of aging cats must make health care decisions that often are based on financial limitations. “There is nothing more frustrating for a veterinarian than knowing you can heal a sick patient, but the owner lacks financial resources and instructs you to put the pet down,” says Dr. Stephens. Pet insurance may be an option that helps remove some of the burden and reduce what Dr. Stephens characterizes as “economic euthanasia.”
Ask your veterinarian for a recommendation about pet insurance. You can also search the Internet. A brief list of contact information for representative companies is provided in the Appendix. Be aware that this industry is so new that companies may come and go, contact information may become outdated, and coverage could change.
Shopping For Insurance
A number of companies with different plans are available, and the ideal time to purchase coverage is when your older cat is still healthy. Ask these questions to help make the best choice for your individual situation:
1) Is your insurance offered in my state?
2) Are multiple plans available? Most companies have more than one level of coverage.
3) What are the eligibility requirements? Ask about cat age, preexisting conditions, and if veterinary records are needed in order to qualify (for cats considered geriatric, records may be necessary).
4) When does coverage begin? There may be a 30-day or longer “wait” period before illness coverage goes into effect. Also ask about any trial periods--some companies will refund your premium within a certain period if you’re not satisfied.
4) How much is the annual premium? Ask about fee schedule coverage allowances for some of the most common senior pet conditions.
5) How much is the deductible? Is the deductible calculated on a per year basis, or a per incident basis?
6) Is there a price break to insure multiple pets?
7) Do you have any special “riders” for veterinary specialists, cancer coverage, or other “senior pet” issues?
8) Is there a “maximum” benefit dollar amount? Is it calculated per year? Per diagnosis? Per lifetime?
9) Which breeds, if any, cost more to be covered? Are any breeds uninsurable?
Quality of Life
We adopt our cats with the bittersweet knowledge they will not live as long as we’d like. People who deeply love their cats are committed to keeping them both healthy and happy during the golden years. With the advent of cutting-edge veterinary care, our pet’s lives can be extended longer than ever before.
However, a longer life isn’t always a better life. “The quality of the patient’s life is really our main concern in veterinary medicine,” says Laura Garrett, DVM, an oncologist at Kansas State University (now at University of Illinois).
What is quality of life? The term refers to the degree of comfort and enjoyment the pet experiences in day-to-day activities. Measuring quality of life can be difficult and depends a great deal on the individual animal, the owner, and the relationship they share.. You know your cat best—you know what makes her happy, and how she acts when she feels good. So one of the best ways to judge a cat’s quality of life is to compare her attitude, activity level and behaviors to the way she once was.
For instance, do Fluffy’s painful hips make him hide under the bed and refuse to move, when he used to race to the bowl at the sound of the can opener? Domino now hides when medication time rolls around, when she used to leap into your lap at any excuse. Garfield was always a picky eater, and now you can’t keep the bowl filled. Bosco always begs to drink from the faucet each morning, or collects his mouse toys and drops them all over the bed as you sleep. Then one day he’s not meowing for breakfast. And the next week, he has no interest in playing flashlight tag. Quality of life means your senior pet feels good, stays connected with you, and enjoys