Inn of the Wandering Dragon

Another year has passed and another visit to the vet to get the furball's shots and checkup. At least this time around I was not the person to actually take the cat in so it's my turn to be the good guy for once. My cat starts stressing as soon as you place him in the car and there is a long, loud and agonizing song to keep you wide awake at the wheel the entire way. I still think it would be fascinating to have a star trek inspired universal translator to actually let me know what he is really saying during all of this. Ok, maybe the trip to the vet I can skip but those other days when I walk in the door to be greeted by a variety of inflections and nuances as we have our conversation would be too interesting to pass up.

But back to the checkup, alas, my cat needs to have his teeth cleaned. The estimate came in around $600 in total plus taxes. Of course that is assuming everything goes quickly and smoothly - which in the case of my little lion, no guarantees. But this has led me to checking out various sites for Pet Insurance, as recommended by the vet.

After reading the different policies and getting quotes I have come to the conclusion that the insurance really isn't going to help much for the teeth cleaning. Most plans do not cover it and the ones that do find me paying close to $400 per year (after deductible) for about $400 worth of teeth cleaning. Yippee. I might as well pay that straight to the vet. There are plans with more coverage but I have a budget to stick to. Of course, where you do get the benefit is precisely where you hope to never have to use it - for accidents and illnesses. My previous cat spent a fair amount of time in the vet's office as he aged so I do see the value there. Not to mention this feline's encounter with a sewing needle - that was a nasty surprise! But it will still take some debating on my part as I mull over the different plans and work out just what I want to do (and what I can afford to do).