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Does pet insurance cover HCM in British Shorthairs?

By the WhichPetPlan editorial team · Last verified 2026-08-24
Short answer

Yes, if you enroll before any sign of heart trouble. Pet insurance treats HCM in British Shorthairs as a hereditary condition, and every insurer we review covers hereditary conditions as long as no clinical signs or symptoms appeared before enrollment or during the waiting period. A heart murmur noted by a vet before you enroll makes HCM pre-existing and permanently excluded on most policies. Enroll a healthy kitten, before any screening flags anything, and an eventual HCM diagnosis is claimable.

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Why British Shorthairs are flagged for HCM

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the hereditary heart condition that dominates this breed’s later-life veterinary bills: the heart muscle thickens, which can lead to congestive heart failure without ongoing medication and cardiac monitoring. Our breed guide rates the British Shorthair at moderate overall risk, with HCM plus a strong tendency to obesity-linked claims, and typical illustrative premiums near $25/mo.

The insurance problem is timing. HCM can develop silently for years, and insurers exclude anything that showed signs, even undiagnosed ones, before your policy started or during its waiting period. A murmur picked up at a routine visit before enrollment follows the cat for the life of every policy you buy afterward.

Waiting periods and how insurers differ

Illness waiting periods decide when your HCM clock starts: 14 days at Lemonade, Embrace, Spot, Figo and Pets Best, 15 days at Healthy Paws, up to 15 days at Fetch, and 30 days at Trupanion. Official Lemonade waits are 0 days for accidents nationwide, 14 days for illness, and 30 days for orthopedic conditions, with no separate 6-month cruciate wait. Healthy Paws sells cat insurance and scores 9.0/10 on our cat book; illness there waits 15 days in most states.

If HCM is ever diagnosed, chronic management differs by insurer. Trupanion pays unlimited with a once-per-condition deductible paid for the life of the pet, which suits recurring cardiac claims; Lemonade caps configurable limits at $100,000 with add-ons sold separately; Embrace distinguishes curable from chronic pre-existing conditions, but HCM counts as chronic, so a diagnosis already on file stays excluded permanently there too.

What to do before you enroll

Enroll young and healthy, before any vet has noted a murmur or arrhythmia, because that is the only version of this breed’s HCM risk that insurance will price. If your cat already has a documented heart finding, a new policy will not cover that condition, though it still covers unrelated new problems.

Related questions

Is HCM covered as a hereditary condition?
Yes, hereditary conditions are covered by the cat-insuring plans we review as long as signs first appear after enrollment and after any applicable waiting period. Once a murmur or other symptom is documented before or during that window, HCM becomes a pre-existing exclusion.
Can a pre-existing HCM diagnosis ever be covered again?
Not realistically. Some insurers re-cover curable conditions after a clean period (Embrace after 12 months, Healthy Paws after 365 days where offered), but HCM is a chronic condition and chronic conditions stay excluded under those paths.
Does Healthy Paws cover British Shorthair cats?
Yes. Official Healthy Paws pages sell cat and kitten insurance, and Healthy Paws scores 9.0/10 on our cat book. Illness waits 15 days in most states. A British Shorthair is eligible the same way any other cat is.
What are Lemonade waiting periods for a British Shorthair?
Official Lemonade waits: 0 days for accidents nationwide, 14 days for illness, and 30 days for orthopedic conditions. There is no separate 6-month cruciate wait. HCM is an illness claim, so the 14-day illness clock is the one that matters.
How much does HCM treatment cost versus premiums?
Cardiac diagnostics, ongoing medication and monitoring accumulate quickly over years of chronic care, which is why unlimited-limit designs such as Trupanion are often recommended for heart conditions. Illustrative British Shorthair premiums start near $25/mo; real quotes depend on age, ZIP code and configuration.

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