Top five pet health insurance claims for the Bengal cat

Tesco Bank Pet Insurance can help us understand the kind of health problems that Bengal cats suffer from by providing us with the top five conditions claimed for by their customers in 2018 together with the average cost of the treatment.

Average Treatment Costs Table

Condition	Average treatment cost
Cat bite abscess	£223.66
Wound	£354.35
Lameness	£251.75
Road traffic accident	£846.97
Injury	£523.29

Average annual cost of premiums for top five (most expensive) cat breeds in the UK

I've just written a page on the same subject but in respect of Maine Coon Cats. The difference between these two breeds in respect of insurance claims is quite stark. Whereas the Maine Coon related to internal organ diseases, as I read the information, the Bengal's claims are much more to do with injuries. This points to UK cat owners letting their Bengal cat go outside to roam freely when they become injured. Or they occur inside the home. Perhaps they fight in multicat households. It doesn't surprise me because the Bengal cat is very active. Arguably they need to be outside but I think this is a very difficult decision because they are a very glamorous looking cat and confident.

Beautiful Bengal cat. Photo copyright Helmi Flick. Published here with her express permission

They are liable to get into difficulties and to be involved in road traffic accidents and become injured. You can also see that cat bite abscesses are on the list. This implies (no more than an implication) that they are involved in fights with other cats. Neither does this surprise me because the Bengal cat can be quite aggressive. They are, we must remind ourselves, wild cat hybrids. They have while blood in them in layman's terms. They carry the DNA of a wild cat, which predisposes them to be more aggressive than your standard moggy or the more placid purebred cats such as the Ragdoll and American Shorthair.

When cats fight they bite each other which can lead to an abscess on the head. Bacteria is deposited under the skin where it grows and becomes a major infection. It needs to be flushed out and disinfected.

Years ago, I wrote about the major health issues which can affect this highly popular cat breed. You can read about them by clicking on this link. All purebred cats have a tendency to have inherited health diseases due to selective breeding. Breeders do their best to keep these diseases down to a minimum. There is a difference in the theoretical inherited disease and the claims made per Tesco's data. It is quite marked. For instance HCM affects Bengal cats but the Tesco pet insurance claims make no mention of claims for this disease.

Whether you choose pet insurance through a company like Tesco Bank Pet Insurance or go the self-insurance route is a personal choice. I believe that the companies need to be more competitive in order to grow the business. Percentage-wise very few people take out pet insurance.