Our first cat recently had an emergency appointment that required X-rays and pain meds, but luckily, it was just a pulled muscle. Our second cat got a cold last week, developed an eye infection, and needed medication.
Trupanion is denying both claims. They said the first wasn’t an emergency, but when my vet asked what proof they needed, they refused to clarify. For the second cat, they initially said it was a pre-existing condition, but my vet followed up since she’s never had an eye infection before. Now they’re claiming it’s because she went to a different clinic for vaccinations.
It doesn’t seem fair. Both cats are kittens, and their only prior medical history is getting shots at another clinic. We’re paying over $100 a month to keep both cats covered, and these claims should have been valid. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of issue with Trupanion? Any advice on what to do next would be appreciated.
Dara said:
They don’t really care about what qualifies as an emergency. Do you have waiting periods, and did you recently sign up for the policy?
I was past the accident waiting period! I went back to my vet today, and they still want ‘proof’ it was an emergency, even after my vet sent them a video of our cat unable to walk. Since we had another appointment today, we’re hoping it helps.
@Vance
They don’t have a specific ‘emergency’ waiting period, it’s actually an accident waiting period. Is the illness waiting period done as well? Did any records show these issues starting before the waiting periods were over?
@Dara
Right, it was an accident waiting period. Our cat has only been in for shots and neutering, with no previous health issues. He just turned a year old last month.
Tarian said:
Why does it matter that they got their vaccines from another vet?
I have no idea! They’re saying it counts as a pre-existing condition because she got her vaccinations at a different clinic. I’m currently re-reading the terms of coverage and forwarding it to my partner’s parents, who work in law, because this doesn’t make sense.
@Vance
Did they give you any resolution? I’m curious because my dog got her vaccinations at a different place, but she got a month of free coverage without a waiting period from our regular vet.
Tarian said: @Vance
Did they give you any resolution? I’m curious because my dog got her vaccinations at a different place, but she got a month of free coverage without a waiting period from our regular vet.
We went back to the vet to sort things out, and it seems like it will be resolved once the vet clarifies the purpose of the appointments. We literally just took them in for their shots and one unrelated appointment for behavior issues . It feels like Trupanion was trying to stretch things to call them pre-existing conditions. We switched vets because we moved four hours away.
From what you’ve mentioned, it sounds like there might be some confusion around pre-existing conditions. If the first cat’s injury happened close to the start of the policy, they might be investigating to make sure it wasn’t pre-existing or a case of trying to buy insurance after an injury. Not saying that’s what happened, but they do look into these things.
It’s not just Trupanion—most pet insurers will dig into early claims to make sure they’re valid. If you have video proof and a clear timeline, that should help. You might want to collect all your vet records and see if there’s anything in there that might be causing issues.
Your best bet is to keep pushing and providing all the info you can. It’s frustrating, but it’s worth it if you can get it resolved.
@Ash
Yes, I made sure to provide all relevant history. Our second cat had issues with worms and was pooping blood when we first got her, but those were resolved and unrelated to her eye infection and cold.
The first cat’s injury happened almost two weeks after the policy started, so I get that they might be concerned, but it really wasn’t a pre-existing issue. We have all the records and went straight to the vet because he couldn’t walk, and we were worried he’d broken something.
. It feels like Trupanion was trying to stretch things to call them pre-existing conditions. We switched vets because we moved four hours away.