CW: Weird poop issues with my cat

For the past few weeks, my cat has been having weird poops. They're soft and malleable (I know this from using the scoop, I'm not some kinda weirdo lmao), and some of them are flat. Idk if they're coming out that way, or if they get flattened down when she buries them and then steps on top of the litter later. This started happening after I switched her food over to a vet-prescribed food to help with her constipation, but I'm not positive that it's related. Also, I recently started thinking that her gut feels bigger and firmer, but I can't tell if that's my paranoia or if it's legit. So I need to take her to the vet!

As a lot of you may know, vet procedures can be extremely expensive. She had constipation issues last year, and needed an x-ray, enema, and a laxative. It cost me over $400 for all of that. If she has an obstruction and needs surgery or an endoscope, that could cost me a few thousand dollars, and I'm super worried about that. I'm hoping it's just an issue with her food.

So I just signed up for some pet insurance through Progressive (whom my car insurance is through), but they have a clause about not covering treatment for any symptoms that occurred before the policy starts. There's got to be a way I can make this work, and need some input.

There's a 14 day waiting period, and after that, coverage starts. A few days after the waiting period ends, could I call a vet and tell them that this problem just started, and make that work?

Edit: I'm hoping I can cover any inconsistencies with the vet, like the timing of when I switched her food and when the symptoms started. I'm not great at lying, so I need help from more experienced connivers.

  • TreadOnMe [none/use name]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Urgh... IANAL but if they don't require a vet precheckup before signing up, there is little they can do to prove that those conditions were preexisting conditions. That being said, putting in a claim right after signing up is sus and will likely flag an investigator on the matter. As long as you claim to the investigator you have never gone to any vet before or used any veterinary products you can probably get away on a technicality. Also not going back to the same vet is a must just in case they interview the vet. Because patient confidentiality doesn't apply to animals, it is likely they will try to find a history, but idk exactly how hard they will look, depending on how much mney it is going to cost them. Idk though, it would be a tricky navigation. Easier with people because you have to subpoena medical records, which is a pain in the ass.