Responsible cat caregivers want to be prepared for the costs of veterinary emergencies, either with veterinary pet insurance, or savings set aside for that purpose. However, vet emergencies often happen when least expected, and job loss, family illness, or other financial crises sometimes come in tandem with those emergencies involving family cats.
Provided here is a resource list of agencies that provide financial help for pets' veterinary emergencies. I have also included information for advance preparation with veterinary pet insurance.
Before You Buy Pet Insurance for Your Cat
Photo Credit: © iStock Photo/Willie B. Thomas
Pet health insurance, like other forms of insurance, is a gamble. You're betting your cat will need it, and the company is setting odds that it won't, in terms of limits and other fine print. There are a number of factors to consider before you buy pet health insurance for your cat. You may, in fact, decide against it, depending on your own situation, and your willingness to gamble.
I carry pet insurance on all my cats, through VPI for my three boys, and PetsBest for Jenny. Although I have not reaped huge benefits yet from these policies, it is comforting to know that they are in place, in the event of an emergency or catastrophic illness involving any of my cats.
CareCredit
CareCredit, a division of GE Money, was founded in 1987 for the purpose of providing a revolving line of credit for expensive dental procedures. It has expanded to include a number of medical services, including veterinary care. CareCredit offers two basic payment plans, described on its web site, and offers "instant approval," if you meet its qualifications.
If you have any inclination that you may need CareCredit, I'd suggest you look into it before an emergency arises.
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program (FVEAP)
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- Seniors
- People with disabilities
- People who have lost their job
- Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten
Help-a-Pet
Help-a-Pet is a small non-profit organization located in Illinois. It helps these pet owners with veterinary expenses:- Physically and mentally challenged individuals
- Senior citizens
- Children of the working poor
United Animal Nations
United Animal Nations offers a variety of grants, both to organizations and individuals. LifeLine Crisis Relief for Individuals covers widescale natural disasters, house fire, or domestic violence situations. It provides a number of different services in those events, including:- Transportation of the animal to safety
- Veterinary care to treat injury or illness
- Temporary boarding
The Pet Fund
The Pet Fund is a non-profit organization whose goal is to "work towards a future where decisions about companion animal medical care need never be made on the basis of cost." This group also provides education and resources to enable pet owners to establish a plan to fund their own pets' medical care in the future.Angels4Animals
Angels4Animals is a non-profit program of Inner Voice Community Services, with a mission to serve as the guardian angel of animals whose caretakers find themselves in difficult financial situations. The organization facilitates this goal with a network of veterinary clinics across the U.S. Its services range from financial aid to complete treatment to those pets and pet owners in need. Those veterinary clinics notify Angels4Animals when a pet is in danger of being euthanized because of financial hard times.
AAHA Helping Pets Fund
AAHA Helping Pets Fund is the "benevolent arm" of the American Animal Hospital Association, and as such, offers grants for veterinary care of abandoned pets, or those whose owners are facing financial hardships. Veterinary hospitals which are AAHA-accredited, may apply on behalf of their clients in those circumstances.
Since 2009 has been a rough year financially, grants were suspended temporarily. However, VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) came to the rescue, with a donation of $25,000 so the AAHA Helping Pets Fund grants were able to resume. The organization also accepts and appreciates personal donations.
Cats in Crisis
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This organization's Crisis Care Fund was set up to assist cats with serious medical special needs. The criteria includes cats currently up for adoption with a diagnosed chronic medical condition, OR cats adopted from a reputable shelter within the past year with a serious diagnosed medical condition.
The Fund is completely financed through private donations, and receives no public grants or government assistance of any kind. You may donate through Paypal, or even become a Guardian Angel of one of the cats in crisis by setting up monthly donations.
The Veterinary Emergency Funding Mission
This startup organization was co-founded by Lucy L. (Pinkston) Schroth DVM, who is also the President. Dr. Schroth worked in veterinary emergency clinics for 10 years, and has had first-hand experience of the daily tragedies wherein cats who had a chance for survival or even a cure had to be euthanized because their owners simply could not pay for emergency veterinary care. She hopes to be able to help cats in those kinds of situations through grants.
She visited our cats forum recently to post her Open Letter to Veterinarians, By a Veterinarian, and it was largely because of the ensuing discussion that I was able to accumulate this list of resources. Good luck with your VEFM project, Dr. Schroth!
