3 Things You Should Know Before Filing Your First Pet Insurance Claim

I have a confession to make: I have a cat. I actually now have two cats. One of them was born in a scrap metal pile on my property in 2023 (it's since been disposed of) and the other was found in a bush on July 4 of this year, screaming his head off and all alone in the world. I'm sure his mother still worries about him.

When Bush Kitten joined Trash Kitten, I decided it was high time to get some pet insurance, since both were males, and the endless stories of urinary blockages from cat-loving friends were enough to put me off my food.

I went with Spot Pet Insurance, which offers optional wellness coverage that I opted in on. The back of the napkin math said it was going to basically pay for itself, so I figured why not.

I approached using said coverage for the first time with trepidation, but when Gomez the Trash Kitten was due for his shots, we were off to the races. Here are a few things I wish I had known before I filed my first claim.

1. Your insurer will probably want vet records

Being a participant in the human medical insurance system, I have no idea why this came as such a surprise to me, but it did, and it really slowed my first claim down. Because your insurer will want to verify that the problem you're dealing with is not pre-existing, it will need records from your vet.

Spot says it can gather this information itself, but my vet's receptionist said she never got a request, so what I ended up doing was just asking for Gomez's medical records (it was just nine pages), taking photos with my phone, and sending them in that way.

2. You'll need to submit every page of your bill

This actually kind of blew my mind, but once it was explained to me, it made sense. After the records were under control, the other thing that really tripped up my first claim was that I didn't include the last page of the bill. I didn't see the point of doing it, the charges were all on the front page, though it didn't show how or if I paid them.

Apparently, pet insurance companies want to see that the bill is paid in full, and all of the pages that are mentioned on the bill. So, if your bill says it's page one of two, you'll need to also photograph page 2, even if it has nothing on it but the fact that it's an empty page numbered page 2.

3. Customer service is a valuable tool

When I was having problems with this first invoice being rejected over and over, I got some very vague messages from the app trying to help me, but not really telling me what the problem was. I finally sat down and called the customer service number for Spot Pet Insurance, and the representative explained to me exactly what the company needed and how to go about getting everything submitted.

Since I had the images on my phone, the customer support person stayed on the line with me while I uploaded them, then she verified that I had the right information. After that, it was smooth sailing -- an insurer's customer service is absolutely invaluable, so make sure to ask for help if anything is remotely confusing or you don't get a response from the app in a few days.

My first claim was frustrating, but pet insurance was worth it

I made a lot of mistakes filing my first claim for Gomez, but luckily, the customer service at Spot Pet Insurance walked me through the process that the app had tried to oversimplify, and just ended up making a lot more confusing than necessary in doing so.

After that first claim was finally filed, though, it took no more than a week to get my reimbursement, which was really impeccable timing. It showed up the day before Melvin the Bush Kitten was due to get his second round of shots and dewormer. So, rather than spend more cash on Melvin, I just recycled Gomez's vet bill money, which worked amazingly well.

Filing Melvin's first claim was a breeze since I already knew what to expect, and what to turn in. I believe it actually took four days for his reimbursement to come, which then paid for my dog's Librella injection. The circle of life is beautiful, with the help of some of the best pet insurance for cats.

The next big challenge will be to see just how quickly and easily this wellness package pays the reimbursement when Melvin has his neuter surgery in October, since I opted into that particular kitten package. Stay tuned for more updates.