The four cat insurance providers worth comparing seriously in 2026 are Pets Best, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, Lemonade, and MetLife. Each provider has a different strength, whether it’s customizable coverage, a rare pre-existing condition allowance, a high coverage ceiling, or a plan built for multi-cat households. The best pet insurance for cats does not come with a clear-cut answer. There’s no single “best” policy across the board; the right one depends on your cat’s age and health history, how many cats you’re insuring, and which trade-off between premium and coverage ceiling matters most to you.
This guide compares all four side by side — reimbursement rates, deductibles, waiting periods, and the fine print that actually decides whether a claim gets paid — so you can shortlist based on your own cat’s situation rather than a marketing headline. Dogs still make up a much larger share of the insured-pet market than cats, per the North American Pet Health Insurance Association’s annual industry reporting, so pet parents insuring a cat are shopping in a smaller, less-crowded segment of the market than dog owners are.
What does pet insurance for cats cover?
Cat insurance sold today generally falls into three tiers, and which one you pick matters more than which company you pick.
Accident-and-illness plans are the standard, most-purchased option across all four providers in this comparison. They cover injuries (foreign-object ingestion, bite wounds, broken bones) and illnesses (infections, cancer, diabetes, chronic conditions), typically including diagnostics, treatment, hospitalization, and prescription medication tied to a covered condition.
Accident-only plans cover injuries but not illness — a cheaper option that still protects against sudden, unpredictable costs but leaves cancer, kidney disease, and other illness-driven bills entirely on you. Not every provider in this comparison prominently markets a standalone accident-only tier for cats, so confirm availability directly if that’s the coverage level you want.
Wellness or preventive-care add-ons reimburse routine costs — annual exams, vaccines, dental cleanings — and are sold as a rider on top of accident-and-illness coverage rather than a standalone product. Pets Best and ASPCA both publish specific wellness tiers with fixed monthly costs and annual benefit caps; Lemonade and MetLife also offer preventive-care options, though with less publicly detailed pricing.
Almost none of these plans cover pre-existing conditions — anything diagnosed or showing symptoms before the policy starts or during its waiting period — and hereditary conditions typically get the same treatment if they show up before or during that window.
How does cat insurance actually work?
Every policy on this list runs on the same basic mechanics, regardless of which provider you choose.
You pay the vet bill in full upfront, then file a claim for reimbursement — none of these four providers pay the vet directly at time of service the way human health insurance often does. Once your claim is approved, the insurer reimburses your selected percentage (70%, 80%, 90%, or in MetLife’s case as low as 50%) of the covered exam fee, diagnostics, and treatment cost, after your deductible has been met for the policy year.
Your annual deductible resets once per policy year and applies across all covered claims, not per incident — so a cat with an ongoing condition doesn’t reset the deductible with every new vet visit for that same issue. Your annual payout limit, if your plan has one, caps the total the insurer will reimburse in a policy year; providers offering an unlimited option remove that ceiling entirely.
Waiting periods are the one mechanic most likely to catch a new policyholder off guard: nothing filed during the waiting period is covered, which is why buying insurance the same week you notice a symptom generally doesn’t work. Illness coverage across all four providers here starts after a standard 14-day wait; accident coverage starts much sooner, and orthopedic or cruciate-related conditions often carry their own separate, longer wait — see the comparison table below for the specifics on each provider.
What’s the average cost of cat insurance?
According to NAPHIA’s State of the Industry Report (2025 report, 2024 policy data), the average annual accident-and-illness premium for U.S. cats was $386.47, or about $32.21 a month. That’s a national average across the whole market, not a quote from any of the four providers compared here, and actual pricing swings substantially based on your cat’s age, breed, and location, along with the specific deductible, reimbursement rate, and payout limit you select.
The starting prices these four providers advertise — ASPCA at $8/month, Lemonade at $10/month, MetLife at $7/month — sit below that $32.21 national average because these are minimums built around a young, healthy cat with a high deductible and lower reimbursement rate selected, not a typical policy configuration. A realistic quote for most cats, especially anything past kitten age, tends to land closer to the national average or above it.
What to compare when shopping for cat insurance
With the basics of coverage and mechanics covered above, four specific numbers are what actually separate these providers in practice: the reimbursement percentage, the deductible range, the annual payout ceiling, and how long each waiting period runs before coverage kicks in. Comparing providers on anything beyond those four — logo, brand recognition, app design — is largely comparing marketing rather than substance. The table below lines up exactly where each of the four stands on each one.
Best pet insurance for cats: 2026 comparison
Side by side, the differences between these four providers come down to a handful of specific numbers — reimbursement percentage, deductible range, payout ceiling, and how long you wait before coverage kicks in — and the table below lines them up directly so you can see where each one actually stands out.
Note: deductibles, limits, and waiting periods vary by state and by the specific policy form issued to you — the figures below reflect each provider’s general/standard plan materials. Always confirm your state’s actual quote and policy documents before enrolling.
| Best Pet Insurance for Cats | Pets Best | ASPCA Pet Health Insurance | Lemonade | MetLife |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reimbursement | 70% / 80% / 90% | 70% / 80% / 90% | 70% / 80% / 90% | 50% / 70% / 80% / 90% |
| Deductible (annual) | $100–$1,000 | $100 / $250 / $500 | $100 / $250 / $500 / $750 | $0–$2,500 (in increments) |
| Annual payout limit | $5,000–unlimited | Up to unlimited (lower tiers vary by state) | $5,000–$100,000 (no unlimited option) | $500–$25,000, plus unlimited option |
| Accident waiting period | 3 days | 14 days | State-specific (historically ~2 days; varies) | 0 days |
| Illness waiting period | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
| Orthopedic/cruciate wait | 6 months (cruciate specifically) | Not separately stated; check state policy | 30 days (orthopedic) | Reported ~14 days by third-party comparison; confirm policy |
| Pre-existing conditions | Standard exclusion | Standard exclusion, with 180-day “cured” reinstatement | Standard exclusion | Standard exclusion (narrow employer-transfer exception only) |
| Starting price for cats | Not publicly listed as a flat starting figure | “As low as $8/month” (marketing minimum) | “Starting at $10/month” (marketing minimum) | “Starts at $7/month” (marketing minimum) |
All “starting at” prices above are marketing minimums, not typical or average premiums — actual quotes depend heavily on your cat’s age, breed, ZIP code, and the plan configuration you choose.
Pets Best — best for customizable coverage
Pets Best earns its spot through sheer configurability: a 70/80/90% reimbursement choice, a $100–$1,000 annual deductible range, and an annual limit that runs from $5,000 all the way to unlimited on its accident-and-illness plan. That flexibility means you can genuinely tailor the policy to your budget rather than picking from a short list of rigid tiers.
Its wellness add-ons are also unusually well-documented: EssentialWellness runs $14–$21.75/month for up to $305 in annual routine-care benefits, while BestWellness runs $26–$32.58/month for up to $535 in benefits, covering exams, vaccinations, and routine testing. Waiting periods are on the shorter end for accidents (3 days) and standard for illness (14 days), though cruciate ligament injuries carry a 6-month wait specifically — worth knowing if you have an active or overweight cat prone to joint issues.
One caveat: Pets Best doesn’t publish a flat “starting at” price for cats the way its competitors do, and its policy terms — including waiting periods — vary meaningfully by state, so treat any quote as a starting point for comparison rather than a locked-in number until you’ve run it for your ZIP code.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance — best for cats with a prior health issue
ASPCA stands out for one specific reason: it’s the only provider in this comparison with a documented “curable pre-existing condition” reinstatement rule. If a condition is treated and your cat goes 180 days symptom- and treatment-free, ASPCA may no longer treat it as pre-existing going forward. For a cat with a resolved past issue — a healed injury, a cleared infection — that’s a meaningfully different outcome than the flat exclusion every other provider here applies.
Coverage otherwise follows the standard structure: 70/80/90% reimbursement, a $100/$250/$500 annual deductible choice, and payout limits that go up to unlimited (though the lower-tier limit options vary by state — ASPCA’s own materials aren’t fully consistent on this point across pages, so confirm your state’s actual tier list at quote time). Two wellness options are available with no waiting period: Basic at $9.95/month and Prime at $24.95/month, both covering routine exams, vaccines, and basic testing.
ASPCA advertises Complete Coverage for Cats starting “as low as $8/month,” though a dated state-specific example (Ohio) showed actual quotes running $9.43–$21.54/month depending on the cat’s profile — a useful reminder that the advertised minimum and a realistic quote can differ substantially.
Lemonade — best for a high coverage ceiling
Lemonade’s standout feature is headroom: its annual payout limit runs from $5,000 up to $100,000, the highest ceiling of any provider in this comparison, even though it doesn’t offer a true unlimited option the way Pets Best, ASPCA, and MetLife do. For an owner who wants a very high safety net without needing literally uncapped coverage, that $100,000 tier is hard to match.
Reimbursement (70/80/90%) and deductible options ($100/$250/$500/$750, annual) sit in line with the rest of the field. Waiting periods are where Lemonade gets more particular: illness sits at the standard 14 days, but orthopedic conditions carry a 30-day wait, and accident waiting periods appear to vary by state rather than following one fixed national number — worth double-checking at quote time rather than assuming same-day accident coverage everywhere.
Lemonade advertises plans “starting at $10/month” for cats, which — like every other provider’s headline number here — is a marketing minimum. One external 2026 analysis estimated a more realistic average closer to $21/month for cats, though that figure comes from third-party reporting rather than Lemonade’s own published average.
MetLife — best for multi-cat households
MetLife’s Family Plan is the differentiator here: multiple pets — dogs and cats together — can share a single deductible and annual limit under one policy, which can simplify both the paperwork and the math for a household with more than one cat. It also posts the widest deductible range of the four ($0 up to $2,500, in increments) and the highest flat-dollar annual limit ceiling before unlimited ($25,000), plus a genuine unlimited option.
MetLife is also the only provider here with a same-day accident waiting period (0 days) and a reimbursement scale that goes as low as 50% in addition to the usual 70/80/90% tiers — useful if you want a lower premium and are comfortable carrying more of the cost yourself. Its orthopedic and cruciate waiting period isn’t explicitly named in MetLife’s own general materials; a third-party comparison reports roughly 14 days, but that’s worth confirming against your actual policy documents rather than treating as a guaranteed universal figure.
At “starts at $7/month” for a single cat, MetLife also advertises the lowest headline minimum of the four — again a marketing floor, not a typical quote, with actual pricing driven by your cat’s age, breed, ZIP code, and plan selections.
How do I choose between these four?
Match the provider to your specific situation rather than defaulting to whichever has the lowest advertised starting price.
If your cat has had a resolved health issue in the past: ASPCA’s 180-day curable-condition rule is the one real point of differentiation among these four providers on pre-existing conditions — worth pricing seriously even if it isn’t the cheapest option.
If you want maximum flexibility to dial in your own premium: Pets Best’s combination of deductible range, reimbursement choice, and unlimited annual option gives you the most configuration room.
If you want the highest possible coverage ceiling without paying for a full unlimited plan: Lemonade’s $100,000 annual limit sits well above the flat-dollar tiers most competitors offer before jumping to unlimited.
If you’re insuring more than one cat: MetLife’s Family Plan, sharing a deductible and limit across pets, is built specifically for that situation in a way the other three aren’t.
If premium cost is the deciding factor: don’t shop by headline “starting at” price alone — all four advertise low minimums that assume a young, healthy cat in a favorable ZIP code. Get an actual quote for your cat’s age, breed, and location before comparing on price.
If your cat is a senior: expect the monthly premium to run well above any of the advertised starting figures regardless of provider, since age is the single biggest driver of cost across this entire market. Older cats are also the group most likely to already have a condition that gets excluded as pre-existing, so read each provider’s policy closely before assuming a lower “starting at” number will actually fit your budget once your cat’s real quote comes back.
FAQ
Quick answers to the questions that come up most once you’re actually comparing quotes rather than reading marketing pages.
Does Costco offer pet insurance? Costco doesn’t underwrite or sell pet insurance itself, but members may be eligible for a 15% discount on Figo Pet Insurance, where available, through a Costco membership partnership. Figo isn’t one of the four providers compared in this guide — its policies are underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company — so if you’re already a Costco member, it’s worth getting a Figo quote alongside these four before deciding.
Is pet insurance worth it for a healthy young cat? Often yes, and for a specific reason: enrolling while your cat is young and healthy locks in the lowest premium and the cleanest pre-existing-condition slate you’ll ever get with that provider. Waiting until a health issue appears usually means that exact condition is excluded going forward.
Are pre-existing conditions covered by cat insurance? Generally no. Nearly every cat insurance policy — across these four providers and the industry broadly — excludes any condition diagnosed or showing symptoms before your policy starts or during its waiting period, and that exclusion typically lasts for the life of the policy. ASPCA is the one exception in this comparison, with a 180-day “cured” reinstatement rule described below.
Do any of these providers cover pre-existing conditions? Not in the way people usually hope. All four exclude conditions present before coverage starts or during the waiting period. ASPCA is the exception worth knowing about: a condition can potentially be reconsidered non-pre-existing after 180 symptom- and treatment-free days.
Which provider has the shortest waiting period? MetLife’s 0-day accident waiting period is the shortest in this comparison, meaning accident coverage can effectively start the day your policy takes effect. Illness coverage still carries the standard 14-day wait across all four providers.
Can I insure multiple cats under one policy? MetLife’s Family Plan is built specifically for this, letting multiple pets share a single deductible and annual limit. The other three providers here generally price and administer each pet as a separate policy.
Are the advertised “starting at” prices realistic? Treat them as marketing floors, not typical quotes. They generally assume a young, healthy cat in a lower-cost ZIP code with a high deductible and lower reimbursement rate selected — actual quotes for most cats run higher.
What does pet insurance typically not cover? Every insurance policy in this comparison excludes pre-existing conditions as a baseline, and most also exclude routine or preventive care unless you’ve added a wellness rider. Read the specific policy document for any provider you’re seriously considering — exclusions are where these plans differ most, even when the headline coverage looks similar.
Is pet insurance worth it for a cat?
For most cat parents the answer is yes, provided you buy while your cat is young and healthy, since that’s when premiums are lowest and the pre-existing-condition slate is cleanest. The math gets less clear-cut for a healthy adult cat with a solid emergency fund already set aside, where self-insuring can be a defensible alternative. Is Pet Insurance Worth It for Cats? walks through that broader cost-benefit decision in full if you’re still weighing whether to insure at all.
Once you’ve decided insurance makes sense, the remaining question is which of these four providers actually fits your cat and budget — and that’s where getting real quotes matters more than reading comparison tables. Given how much premiums swing based on your specific cat’s age, breed, and location, the “best” provider on paper can change once actual numbers come back. The comparison table above narrows the field to four providers worth quoting; Cat Dental Insurance covers a coverage gap — dental illness — that catches a lot of cat owners by surprise regardless of which provider they choose.