Pet insurance ''is important even for young animals''

While most people think pet insurance is only really necessary when animals get older, an industry expert has revealed it is useful even for very young creatures.

Chris Price, head of pet insurance for Churchill, explained that people could actually save themselves money by getting their animals insured when they were still young.

He said that most insurers will only provide new policies for dogs under the age of eight and cats of ten.

What''s more, Mr Price explained that getting cover as soon as possible would "ensure that your pet is covered for any unforeseen circumstances, such as accidental injury, which can happen at anytime".

"Like people, as pets get older, long term illnesses such as heart and kidney problems arise. This is the reason many insurers will not start to insure pets of an older age. However, once a pet is insured with a company they are likely to insure the pet for its lifetime," he added.

Figures from Defaqto suggested that there were ten million cats and seven million dogs in the UK at the end of 2007.

However, the company suggested that just 17 per cent of cats and 32 per cent of dogs were insured.