rab

One of our two cats got bitten by a brown snake and nearly died. We found him paralysed on the lounge floor and took him to the vet.

The vet kept him in two nights and gave him anti-dote and a drip etc with no guarantee of survival.

The cat is now fine but the treatment cost $566.00. Phew!

We were looking at pet insurance but it is between $15 and $20 per month per animal and we reckoned for two cats it is better to just save $40 a month for fees and save $480 a year for such events.

Does this make sense? Anyone else had similar experiences with either snakes and pets or with pet insurance?

cam_uk

this is one of the reasons we decided not to bring out cat (well that and the price!!)

she is ALWAYS chasing spiders and toying with them ... i'm not sure how long she'd last ..

we've found a good home for her now

woodyinoz

That was my view on health insurance too

yamahaha

Id say pet insurance is always worth the money. Here in the UK ours costs about £8 per month which is roughly the same as Oz by the looks of it. We used ours within days of getting our evil black walking stomach of a cat when he decided to try to eat a 3ft long stip of material. Stupid wee eejit had to get cut open to have it surgically removed! Saved us a fortune though

Apparently many types of Spider Venom dont affect Cats. They tend to be more toxic to Primates (including us!). Sounds like snake bites are different though

Nicky & Dave

I'm glad your cat is recovered - I;ll have to find out about the cost of pet insurance for mine as I'm planning on taking all four of mine - three of them are avid mouse/spider catchers so I can just imagine how they'd be if they spotted a snake in the garden. I'll probably go outside one day to find three little paralysed furry things lying on the lawn.

I joke but I'm actually quite concerned now. I wish I could find decent homes for them here but I don't know anyone who can take them, so they are all coming with me!

Nicky

yamahaha

Four cats???? That'll fair cost you to get those over to Oz wont it?

Nicky & Dave

Yep, I reckon about £3-4k. I'm hoping to get a bulk discount - you know, the more you ship, the less it costs! No, I don't really think so either!

Nicky

sduffy

Thank goodness your cat is ok,that must have been a relief.Whereabouts in Adelaide are you.We have a scottish terrier and have decided to go for the pet insurance as there are so many more dangers out here.

kitty4

I just had a quote from airpets to transport my 4 furry felines - approx 2400 for doing absolutely everything that is required. Another quote I got was a few hundred cheaper but I have to do everything, inc vet procedures at the specified times then deliver them to cargo terminal on time. The all inclusive seemed better and at least I won't overlook something.

kitty4

Glad your cat is ok now. I can cope with human emergencies but go a bit to pieces with animals.
I'll worry about mine, but I can't leave them here so they'll have to take their chance. They'll be fine.

sunseekers

after reading this im really worried about taking my cat Rosie, I cant stand the thought of leaving her behind as I kind of saved her when she was born from my sisters cat, Rosie was breach and all you could see was a really tiny paw sticking out, my sister is sqweemish so it was me to the rescue after gently easing her out I had this lifeless little kitten in the palm of my hand, after rubbing her, her tiny head began to move so I knew then she had to be my cat, 4 years on she still follows me around asthough im her mom and she always sleeps at the botom of the bed. I know this sounds silly but theres a bond between us. If I take her to oz am I being selfish, or do I find her a good new home before I go, I dont know what to do for the best but I dont want to part with her, any advise and reasurance welcome

Nicky & Dave

Tina, I've been through the 'do-I-don't-I' thing as well. The way I look at it is if I can find permanent loving homes for my cats before we leave, then fine. If I know that they will be as well off in a new home as they are now, then fine. But it's not looking likely, and neither am I prepared to leave them in a cat rehoming place where they could sit for ages waiting for someone to take them........so I figure that for all the trauma of a flight, it'll all be over in a couple of days and they'll recover quick enough. They'll only be in quarantine for a month - and they have been in a cattery for a month whilst we've been on hols - so I know that they will settle down.

There have been lots of threads on here about taking your pets, and ultimately, it's down to the individual. After all, you know your pet better than anyone and you have to decide whether it's the right thing or not. But most posters who have taken pets say that they get through the flight okay and settle down fine.

Rgds,

Nicky

Hels

Guys....I grew up here in Australia....am 37yo and have had cats all my life. I have lived in Brisbane/Darwin/Perth/Melbourne and have NEVER had pet insurance...

I have never once owned a cat that was bitten by anything other than a flea!

I am not saying it will never happen....but imagine how much money I would have in the bank right now had I saved every $ I would have given an insurance company? I think any bill I might get in the future surely cant match that?

Honestly, I cant advise not to bother with insurance because knowing my luck you would get your moggy here and within days become a meal for some local wildlife....but to be honest, its as likely your cat will get hit by a car before something deadly will bite it...

To the OP, sorry this happened to your cat and I am very glad its fine again....

stef

Yes take her. We have a cat who my son found as a tiny kitten wandering around under trucks in his yard. He brought him home but my husband wasnt exactly over the moon about him and we really had to break him down to keep him. Now that cat 'smudge' as he was covered in smudges of oil totally dotes on my hubby much to the annoyance of everyone else. Smudge is terrified of strangers and i know he would never settle and we d feel we d let him down if we didnt take him. He s now 3 yrs old. He has stayed in catteries when we ve gone on holiday but boy is he glad when we get back or should i say when he sees my hubby. I think you d always regret not taking Rosie - she sounds so loving and its you she loves.

Cheetah7

Hi there Rab.

I dont live in Australia, Im in London, but I will advise one thing for you.

Get pet insurance. As an ex veterinary nurse I can tell you that whilst 500 dollars may or may not seem alot to pay for some people, it can be 500 too much.

When my cat had pancreatic cancer, his bill was a thousand pounds and yes, we had been paying a tenner a month for two years before we claimed.

Instead of paying a grand, we paid about 80 pounds excess.

When I worked in the vet, those clients who insured their pet, if their pet needed treatment, it was a case of 'Right, lets get this treated now' and they didnt have to worry about a huge bill.

When my dog broke her leg and i wasnt insured, I had to scrimp and save to find the money, and that was with a vet nurse discount.

If you can get insurance for your cats, I would do it. Even for piece of mind.

Veterinary medicine is a bottomless pit for clients fees, at least you get some protection.

I hope your cat is OK and stays away from snakes.

That is just the sort of thing my cat Gordon would do.

Good luck

Samantha