Best cat insurance 2026
By the WhichPetPlan editorial team · Last verified 2026-08-05 · 8 insurers reviewed · No paid placements
The best cat insurance for most cats in 2026 is Lemonade (9.2/10 in our editorial scoring): claims settle in the app and illustrative premiums start around $16/mo for a young cat. Its weaknesses are real: it is not sold in every state and its dental cover is thin. The cheapest cat cover we found is Pets Best (from about $14/mo), our pick for outdoor cats, though its illness waiting period is a full 14 days. If you are planning for the long illnesses that define old-cat medicine, like renal failure, Healthy Paws has no annual payout limit. Every premium on this page is an illustrative starting estimate, not a quote.
All 8 insurers at a glance
Ranked by our editorial score on the cat side of each book. “From” premiums are illustrative estimates for a healthy one-year-old cat. Scores are our own; see how we score plans.
| # | Insurer | Score | From / mo (cat) | Annual limit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LemonadeTop pick | 9.2/10 | $16 | $100k | Most cats |
| 2 | Healthy Paws | 9/10 | $24 | Unlimited | Cats with a long road ahead |
| 3 | Embrace | 8.7/10 | $22 | $30k | Indoor cats who rarely claim |
| 4 | Pets Best | 8.4/10 | $14 | $5k to unlimited | Outdoor cats |
| 5 | Spot | 8.2/10 | $21 | $2.5k to unlimited | Custom budgets |
| 6 | Figo | 8/10 | $23 | $5k to unlimited | Maximum payback |
| 7 | Trupanion | 7.8/10 | $35 | Unlimited | Emergency-prone cats |
| 8 | Fetch | 7.5/10 | $27 | $15k | Senior cats |
The rankings, with the catch for each
Lemonade
Best overall for most cats9.2/10 · from $16/mo · limit: $100kBest for: Most cats.
The catch: Very cheap for cats and claims settle in-app; but not available in every state and dental is thin.
Think twice if: Skip it if it is not sold in your state, or if dental coverage matters to you, because its dental cover is thin.
Healthy Paws
Best for long illnesses9/10 · from $24/mo · limit: UnlimitedBest for: Cats with a long road ahead.
The catch: Unlimited payout matters for renal failure and lymphoma; no wellness cover and no direct vet pay.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want wellness cover for routine care, or if you cannot front the bill and wait for reimbursement, because it has neither wellness add-ons nor direct vet pay.
Embrace
Best for indoor cats who rarely claim8.7/10 · from $22/mo · limit: $30kBest for: Indoor cats who rarely claim.
The catch: Deductible falls every claim-free year; the lowest annual cap among our picks.
Think twice if: Skip it if one bad year could mean a bill over $30k, because that is the lowest annual cap among our picks.
Pets Best
Cheapest cat cover we found8.4/10 · from $14/mo · limit: $5k to unlimitedBest for: Outdoor cats.
The catch: Well priced with a fast accident start; illness waiting period is a full 14 days.
Think twice if: Skip it if an illness in the first two weeks of the policy would sink you, because the illness waiting period is a full 14 days.
Spot
Best for custom budgets8.2/10 · from $21/mo · limit: $2.5k to unlimitedBest for: Custom budgets.
The catch: Endless limit combinations; easy to under-buy without realising it.
Think twice if: Skip it if you do not want to think about limits and deductibles, because the sheer number of combinations makes it easy to under-buy without realising it.
Figo
Best for maximum payback8/10 · from $23/mo · limit: $5k to unlimitedBest for: Maximum payback.
The catch: Full reimbursement is rare and useful; everything runs through the app, with no phone support to speak of.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want to phone a human, because everything runs through the app with no real phone support.
Trupanion
Best for emergency-prone cats7.8/10 · from $35/mo · limit: UnlimitedBest for: Emergency-prone cats.
The catch: Settles at the desk so you never front the bill; the most expensive cat premium we found.
Think twice if: Skip it if month-to-month cost matters, because at around $35/mo it is the most expensive cat premium we found.
Fetch
Best for senior cats7.5/10 · from $27/mo · limit: $15kBest for: Senior cats.
The catch: Genuinely covers dental disease, which most exclude; mid-table price and a modest annual cap.
Think twice if: Skip it if you want the highest annual cap, because $15k is modest and the price sits mid-table.
Our top pick is not the cheapest. That is deliberate.
- Pets Best is the cheapest cat cover we found (from about $14/mo illustrative). If your budget is the filter, it is the honest answer, and it is our pick for outdoor cats. Just know the illness waiting period is a full 14 days.
- Lemonade still ranks first (9.2 vs 8.4) because its claims settle in the app and its overall cover scored higher with us. The gap between $14 and $16 a month is small; the gap in claims experience is not.
- No plan covers pre-existing conditions. Not one of the eight. The best time to insure a cat is while it is young and healthy.
- Dental is the gap to watch. Most insurers exclude dental disease, one of the most common old-cat expenses. Fetch covers it; Lemonade’s cover is thin.
- Our scores are editorial. We publish our methodology so you can judge the ranking rather than take it on faith.
Common questions
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We currently earn no commission from any insurer listed, so no ranking on this page is paid placement. Every premium shown is an illustrative starting estimate for a healthy one-year-old cat; your real quote depends on breed, age, ZIP code, deductible and reimbursement rate. Facts on this page were last verified 2026-08-05.