Vet bills are continuing to rise and in 2018 the average pet insurance claim rose to £793. If you would struggle to find this amount of money pet insurance is a simple way to help your pet receive the treatment it requires.

At Compare Cover, we allow you to compare quotes from a range of UK insurance providers for cat insurance and dog insurance.

At Compare Cover, you can quote for up to 5 pets at once, and some providers may offer a discount if you insure multiple pets at the same time.

If your pet has suffered from an illness in the past, you should still be able to find an insurance policy to cover them. However, it is unlikely the insurer will provide cover for your pets pre-existing condition, and premiums may be higher. You must declare any pre-existing conditions, whether current or historic at the time of taking out the policy, or you run the risk of your insurer not paying out. At Compare Cover we have partnered with an insurer that aims to provide cover for more pets with pre-existing conditions.

There is no set age limit for pet insurance however dogs and cats tend to develop more health problems as they get older, so the cost of pet insurance usually increases with the age of the pet.

A pedigree animal is often more valuable and therefore more likely to be stolen, so these animals tend be more expensive to insure. Due to close breeding, pedigrees also tend to be more susceptible to genetic complications, making them a higher risk in the eyes of the insurer. You should check there are no exclusion for these conditions in the policy documentation before purchasing the policy.

Cover for injury will usually start as soon as you take out a policy online or over the telephone. Cover for illness normally starts 14 days afterwards. This can vary depending on the provider and policy, so it is wise to check your policy documents.

The sooner you start the claims process, the quicker your provider can pay out. Your first step should be to contact your insurance provider directly to see if you can make a claim. The provider will probably want to know the details of what has happened to your pet and the likely cost incurred due to the situation. Your vet should be able to provide estimated costs or you may already have an invoice. You may then be required to fill in a claim form and gather any supporting documents to assist with the claims process.

Your first policy is important as it could affect any future claims following any accident or illness your pet goes on to have. As vet bills can be very expensive, you may prefer the peace of mind provided by purchasing a more comprehensive cover at outset. Be sure to read about the different types of pet insurance policy.

Accident only pet insurance generally only offers cover in the event of an accident and will exclude cover for vet fees incurred due to illness. Consequently, accident only pet insurance tends to be the cheapest type of policy.

Lifetime insurance offers the most comprehensive cover for your pet and should provide cover for the duration of your pet’s lifetime, providing you renew year on year. Lifetime policies are usually the most expensive and cover may differ depending on the provider you opt for, so always check for any exclusions.

Time-limited pet insurance policies allow you to claim for eligible conditions, up to a specified amount in a 12-month period. After that, no further pay-outs will be made for the same condition. At the end of the 12 months, you can renew the policy but that specific condition is likely to be excluded.

This policy allows you to claim year after year up to a specified financial limit. Unlike a time-limited policy, you can claim for the same condition more than once. You will however have to fund any further treatment yourself once the vet bills reach the maximum amount on your policy.

In 2016 it became a legal requirement to microchip your pet. As a result, insurers no longer offer discounts on pet insurance if your pet is microchipped. In fact, some insurers will not offer cover for pets who have not been microchipped at all.

Not all policies will provide cover for dental treatment, but that’s not to say that you won’t find a policy that will. Many policies will include dental treatment, but the level of cover varies, so read the policy documents carefully so you’re sure you know what you're getting.

You can compare pet insurance quotes for cats and dogs in a matter of minutes using our online form.