WhichPetPlan
Advisor
← All answers

Does pet insurance cover asthma in cats?

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

Yes, if signs first appear after enrollment. Feline asthma is covered as an illness on every cat-insuring plan we review once the illness waiting period passes, typically about 14 days. Our breed data names asthma a Siamese risk alongside dental disease and amyloidosis. Asthma is chronic: once diagnosed and documented, it stays excluded on any new policy, so enrollment timing decides everything.

Get a Lemonade quote

Lemonade is the one insurer on this site we can send you to for a live quote. That does not make it the right plan for every pet. As of August 2026, Lemonade Pet is not available in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming.

Some links here are partner links. If you buy through one, the insurer may pay us a fee. It never changes your premium and it never changes a ranking.

Get a quote from Lemonade

What a policy pays for

A new asthma claim covers the diagnostic workup (x-rays are central to confirming asthma) plus prescribed treatment such as bronchodilators or corticosteroids, subject to your deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit. Illness waiting periods run 14 days at Lemonade, Embrace, Spot, Figo and Pets Best, 15 days at Healthy Paws in most states, 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.

Our breed data flags Siamese cats for asthma risk, with illustrative Siamese premiums near $24/mo, among the lower figures in the catalog because of the breed otherwise hardy profile.

The chronic rule and lifelong management

Asthma is managed rather than cured, which places it firmly in the chronic camp once documented: excluded for life under every pre-existing rule we review, with no curable-condition reinstatement path of the kind that re-covers ear infections or giardia.

For lifelong claims, unlimited-limit designs matter more than headline price. Trupanion pays unlimited per condition with its deductible paid once for the life of the pet. Embrace, Spot and Lemonade offer unlimited or high-cap annual limits at the top of their ranges.

Related questions

Is feline asthma covered as hereditary?
It is covered under illness terms when signs first appear after enrollment and after the waiting period. Our breed data flags Siamese cats for asthma risk specifically.
My cat was wheezing before I enrolled. Is asthma excluded?
If wheezing or a diagnosis is documented before enrollment or during the wait, asthma becomes pre-existing and stays excluded for life, since it is chronic and never qualifies for curable-condition reinstatement.
Are chest x-rays covered for a coughing cat?
Yes, diagnostics such as x-rays and bloodwork are covered as part of working up a covered illness claim on the plans we review.

Keep reading

Not sure which plan fits?

The Advisor ranks the eight reviewed plans from nine questions. Some links on WhichPetPlan (currently Lemonade) may earn a fee; it never changes the premium and never changes a ranking. The Advisor stays an unpaid ranking, not a quote form.

Start the Advisor

Some links (currently Lemonade) may earn a fee; it never changes the premium and never changes a ranking. Other insurers listed here do not pay us. Premium figures are illustrative starting estimates, not quotes. See our methodology for how scores are set.