To Insure Or Not Insure

Our family avoided having a pet for years, knowing and suspecting costly maintenance, and that no one would be committed to taking care of one. The kids asked for a pet, any pet, but were declined each time. We made them wait, and show us they were ready by applying conditions such as maintaining their rooms (if you can't take care of your room, you can't take care of a living thing). We tried goldfish, but unfortunately, they did not last very long. When I was a teen, I had plenty goldfish which I took care of and maintained the tank. I couldn't see my kids do that at an earlier age.

When I started to entertain the idea of having pets, I had to apply more conditions. We wouldn't get certain pets such as a snake or a rat. Or a hamster. If they wanted them, it would have to be when they have their own place.

Enter 2020, and we considered cats. We weren't looking for a mouser, but we definitely wanted cat scent to deter rodents from coming in or staying. It took us a few weeks to finally get connected to an adoption site. We tried different ones but there were so many conditions too! And there were others that were too far from us and the adoption costs were a factor on just how far we wanted to go. We tried the local rescue, and did a video meet with one cutie. We also met a cat that needed to be re-homed. Both times we were too slow in deciding.

One day I got a text from another rescue center, but it was out in Fremont. It was a bit too far for me, but at that point, we were first in line to meet a litter of 4 siblings. We accepted the invitation and met with the fosters and the cats. We fell in love!!! Before leaving, we decided on not one, but two cats. We only just wanted one. But after hearing about how the 4 were bonding, we couldn't snatch just one of them.

It took a few more weeks before we could take Frodo and Pippin home. They were still baby kitties that needed their shots and spay first. We were so excited for their forever homecoming and got them the toys, and the food, and the litter box and litter.

It took them about 2 hours before they exited from their cat carrier (which they barely fit into both at the same time now). Frodo, the social one, settled in quite fast. Pippin took his time. We intended them to be indoor cats so we let them have free range in the house. It took a span of a week before they were really exploring. They found rooms, they found boxes, and dark and soft areas. Nowadays, they run and climb everything.

Having the cats were a real joy to our household. But other matters came up. We didn't insure them right away, thinking that they are indoor cats and we were taking care of them just fine.

That didn't last so long. One day, Pippin started to vomit. We didn't think much of it, but it was becoming frequent. This worried us so much, and regretted not getting insurance. We had to take him to the vet, and the bill came out to almost $800. The tests came out to be nothing serious, but he was dehydrated. Thank goodness it was not much more serious than that... but $800 to know was quite costly.



Never did we think that spending $800 on a cat was something we would do in a heartbeat. Of course we would, Pippin's family. But it was a lesson to be had. Pet insurance is worth it. We recommend it to any new pet owners. This is why pets are expensive, but once they are in the family, they can't be left without care.

Our cats are insured with Lemonade. At $18/mo each cat, we feel this is quite worth it. The coverage is great, and we hope we never have to use it. But if we do, it's there.

Really though, how can we NOT love this furball?!