Anyone tempted to buy a pet or who received one for Christmas should not forget that a key part of having a cat or dog is making sure it can be properly looked after when it is ill, says Defaqto in its most recent report, Pet Insurance in the UK 2007.

New owners need to look beyond the immediate pleasure of having a pet to what can happen to it over its life. Not only are the costs of treating pets rising, but just as with humans, new treatments are being introduced all the time to improve a pet’s quality of life when it is unwell.

Although there are over 120 policies examined in the report, they fall into two main types: those paying claims only for the first twelve months of an illness only and those that will pay for the whole time the pet needs treatment for that condition, but with a limit on the expenditure each year.

Brian Brown, Head of Insight at Defaqto and author of the report, said, “Pet insurance should be a priority for pet owners but it is vital to shop around and check that you know which policy type you are buying before committing to a purchase. As many conditions can run for longer than twelve months the policies paying out for twelve months only are aimed at customers who only want cover for emergency treatments, while those paying ‘per year’ are aimed at those who want full treatment for their pets. Naturally customers should expect twelve month policies to be cheaper than the ‘per year’ type policies.”