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Vet fees, waiting periods and the three cat plans sold in English
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Janine El-Saghir
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Sadie Voss is the Lead Editor for How-to-Germany.com. As an expat who carved her own way into Berlin from the United States, Sadie is deeply...
Premiums shown are reference quotes for a standard profile (breed risk group RG1, age 3) and may differ by animal, breed and age. As of 2026.
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €22.13 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | unlimited |
| Unlimited annual reimbursement for eligible operation costs. Covers operations due to illness or accident, veterinary costs for diagnosis leading to an operation, surgical preparation, aftercare, and medication connected to the operation. Reimbursement up to 4× GOT, including emergency service fee. Selected additional benefits have separate sublimits. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 4× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 96 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per year) |
| Fixed selectable deductible of €0, €150, or €250 per insurance year. This is not a percentage deductible. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €4.31 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | unlimited |
| Lassie OP insurance covers medically necessary operations for the insured animal under full or partial anesthesia. The product overview lists cover up to 4× GOT, pre-operative examinations within 10 days before surgery, aftercare until the 30th calendar day after surgery, complementary post-operative treatment if recommended by a vet, special diagnostics in the OP pre- and post-treatment period, prostheses subsidy up to €500, and travel cancellation costs caused by an accident-related operation up to €500 per insurance year. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 4× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 0 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| Variable deductible is selectable depending on the policy certificate. A deductible per insurance case applies according to the conditions listed in the policy certificate. If 0%, 20%, or 40% is selected, Lassie reimburses 100%, 80%, or 60% of eligible costs. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €17.14 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | unlimited |
| Mini full protection covers medically necessary operations and illness/accident treatment. Mini has an annual benefit limit for illness and accident treatment costs, around 1,035 EUR, while Mini, Midi, and Maxi have no annual benefit limit for operation cover. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 4× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 0 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| Variable deductible is selectable: 0%, 20%, or 40%. Lassie therefore reimburses 100%, 80%, or 60% of eligible costs within the insured scope. The deductible applies per insurance case according to the insurance certificate. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €3.26 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | €2,000 |
| OP-Schutz Basis covers operation costs up to a yearly maximum benefit of €2,000. Reimbursement can be selected as 70%, 80%, or 100%. Includes free vet and clinic choice, direct billing with the veterinarian, and 3× GOT reimbursement. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 3× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 84 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| The deductible depends on the selected reimbursement rate. If 100% reimbursement is selected, there is effectively no percentage deductible. If 80% reimbursement is selected, the customer pays 20%. If 70% reimbursement is selected, the customer pays 30%. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €29.17 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | €3,000 |
| Basis covers treatments and operations up to a yearly maximum benefit of €3,000. Reimbursement can be selected as 80% or 100%. Includes the benefits of PANDA OP protection tariffs plus additional full-health treatment coverage. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 3× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 84 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| The deductible depends on the selected reimbursement rate. If 100% reimbursement is selected, there is effectively no percentage deductible. If 80% reimbursement is selected, the customer pays 20% of eligible costs. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €26.81 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | €0 |
| BasisDirekt includes free choice of veterinarian, reimbursement up to 3× GOT, and up to 4× GOT for emergency veterinary care. Surgery insurance benefits are included. Other treatment costs are covered up to €400, dental treatment up to €100, and preventive care up to €30. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 4× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 84 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| The calculator allows an optional deductible selection, from 0-250 EUR. If a deductible is agreed, it is deducted from each insurance case. Preventive benefits are reimbursed up to the agreed limit without deduction of the deductible. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €50 |
| Reimbursement rate | 100% |
| Coverage per year | €800 |
| The Plus plan has unlimited surgery cover, but an overall annual limit of €800 for the full-health part of the plan. Vet treatments and medication are covered up to €800, dental up to €150, and preventive care up to €70. Coverage percentage can be 80% or 100%, depending on the selected reimbursement/deductible option. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 4× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 71 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 0% / €0 (per case) |
| Feather shows coverage percentage options of 80% or 100%. If 80% coverage is selected, the customer effectively pays 20% of eligible costs. If 100% coverage is selected, there is no percentage deductible. Pricing may change based on selected deductible. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €2.71 |
| Reimbursement rate | 80% |
| Coverage per year | €1,000 |
| Basis Plus reimburses 80% of eligible operation costs up to €1,000 per insurance year. Covers operations under full or partial anesthesia, operation-related pre-examinations from one day before surgery, clinic accommodation up to 14 days after surgery, and medication after surgery up to 14 days. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 3× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 96 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 20% / €250 (per case) |
| Basis Plus has a 20% deductible, with a minimum deductible of €250 per insurance case. This means hepster reimburses 80% of eligible costs, and the customer pays 20%, but at least €250 per claim. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
| Tariff & coverage | |
| Premium/month (from) Reference quote for a standard profile (risk group RG1, age 3). The actual premium depends on animal, breed and age. | €11.53 |
| Reimbursement rate | 80% |
| Coverage per year | €1,000 |
| Basis Plus reimburses 80% of eligible costs. The annual maximum is €1,000 in the first year and €2,000 from the second year. Treatment costs are covered up to €1,000 per insurance year, and operation costs are also covered up to €1,000 per insurance year in the visible tariff table. | |
| Max. GOT rate | 3× |
| Waiting period | 30 days |
| Max. entry age | 84 months |
| Excess (deductible) | |
| Excess The share of a bill you pay yourself when your pet is treated – like the deductible on car insurance. It can be a fixed amount (e.g. €50), a percentage (e.g. 20%) or both; “per case”, “per year” or “per month” says what it applies to. “none” = the tariff has no excess. A lower excess usually means a higher premium. | 20% / €250 (per case) |
| Basis Plus has a 20% deductible, with a minimum deductible of €250 per insurance case. This means hepster reimburses 80% of eligible costs, and the customer pays 20%, but at least €250 per claim. | |
| Coverage features | |
| Free vet choice | |
| Online consultation | |
| Treatment abroad (EU) | |
| Treatment abroad (worldwide) | |
| Clinic accommodation | |
| Castration / sterilisation | |
| Homeopathic treatment | |
| Traffic accident | |
| Preventive care | |
| Dental treatment | |
Advertising notice: provider links in this overview are affiliate links — we receive a commission from the provider for sign-ups made through them.
Cats are the most common pet in Germany, with 15.7 million of them in a quarter of all households (German pet industry associations ZZF and IVH, survey year 2025), and a vet bill for a cat follows the same statutory fee schedule as one for a dog: the same fee items, billed at one to three times the base rate and up to four times in an emergency. Cat health insurance (Katzenkrankenversicherung) reimburses those bills, either for operations only or for every treatment.
- Two plan types: surgery-only cover pays for operations with diagnostics and aftercare; full cover adds illnesses, medication and, depending on the plan, a budget for vaccinations and check-ups.
- Liability: cats, unlike dogs, are included in personal liability insurance under the industry model terms; damage to a rented flat is covered there too, but not wear and tear or scratches from years of use.
- Who sells in English: Lassie (policies underwritten by HDI Global Specialty SE), Getsafe (a licensed intermediary, insurer andsafe AG) and Feather (a licensed insurance agent). Lassie insures cats of any age, Getsafe up to eight and Feather up to six years at the start (provider websites, as of 24 September 2026).
- Waiting periods matter more than price: illnesses are covered after about a month, accidents almost immediately, and the dental disease most common in cats, FORL, only after 18 months at Lassie.
- Cost: Getsafe’s pet cover starts at €6 a month; Lassie and Feather quote in their calculators. Premiums rise with the cat’s age at every provider.
What cat insurance in Germany covers
In Germany, pet health insurance is called Tierkrankenversicherung; the surgery-only variant is the OP-Versicherung. Cat insurance reimburses veterinary costs after the vet has been paid: you send the invoice to the insurer through its app and receive the covered amount back, or, at Lassie and some German insurers, the practice settles directly with the insurer. Depending on the plan, cover is limited to operations or extends to every medically necessary treatment.
Veterinary Costs — a Key Factor
Veterinarians in Germany bill according to a nationwide fee schedule, the Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte (GOT), in force since 22 November 2022. Every service has a base fee, and the vet may charge between once and three times that amount depending on the difficulty, time and circumstances of the treatment. In the emergency service at night, at weekends and on public holidays the range is two to four times the base fee, plus a statutory emergency fee of €50 before VAT. The fees in the schedule are net; 19 per cent VAT is added to treatment and medication.
At first glance, routine examinations and treatments for cats may appear to offer coverage at the standard rate. In practice, however, invoices often include multiple services, such as diagnostic tests, treatment itself, prescribed medications, and consumables. Complex therapies or surgery with follow-up care can quickly reach several thousand euros — a significant financial risk without insurance.
Bring your cat’s EU pet passport or vaccination record, the microchip number, previous diagnoses, the medication list and your policy details. After treatment, ask for an itemised invoice that lists each GOT item, the multiplier applied (1x, 2x, 3x or the emergency rate), medication, consumables, VAT and the diagnosis. Insurers reimburse against this invoice, and Lassie and Getsafe require the microchip or tattoo number on it.
What a vet charges for a cat: example rates
| Procedure | Treatment Category | Cost (1x Rate) | Cost (2x Rate) | Cost (3x Rate) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood Test / Small Blood Count | Diagnostics | €24.75 | €49.50 | €74.26 | Based on a small blood count (Kleines Blutbild). A complete/large blood count costs more. |
| Castration (Male) | Surgery (Elective) | €36.08 | €72.16 | €108.24 | Based on the 2022 GOT 1x net fee of €30.32 plus 19% VAT. Plus anesthesia & materials. |
| C-section | Surgery (Emergency) | €171.68 | €343.36 | €515.04 | Emergency surgical birth. |
| Euthanasia by Injection | End-of-Life Care | €36.63 | €73.26 | €109.88 | Comprehensive, one time. |
| Follow-up Treatment (Same Case) | Routine Care | €23.49 | €46.98 | €70.47 | For the same health condition. |
| General Examination with Consultation | Routine Care | €28.11 | €56.23 | €84.32 | Standard check-up. |
| Inpatient Accommodation (per Day) | Hospitalization | €13.63 | €27.25 | €40.88 | Excludes treatment costs. |
| Issue of Certificates | Administrative | €20.23 | €40.46 | €60.69 | For travel, health records, etc. |
| Sedation (by Injection) | Medical Procedure | €23.54 | €47.08 | €70.62 | This is sedation by injection, not full general anesthesia. Full general intramuscular injection anesthesia costs around €27.89 gross at the 1x rate. |
| Spaying (Female / Ovariectomy) | Surgery (Elective) | €67.21 | €134.42 | €201.63 | This rate represents standard ovariectomy, meaning ovary removal only. A standard ovariohysterectomy, meaning removal of both ovaries and uterus, is €105.91 gross at the 1x rate. Plus anesthesia & materials. |
| Ultrasound | Diagnostics | €70.11 | €140.21 | €210.30 | Standard diagnostic imaging. |
| Vaccination Certificates | Administrative | €7.33 | €14.66 | €21.99 | Proof of vaccination. |
| Wound Treatment (Skin) | Treatment | €19.04 | €38.08 | €57.12 | For minor skin wounds. |
| X-ray (1st Image) | Diagnostics | €31.57 | €63.14 | €94.71 | Standard first X-ray image. Additional images, sedation, positioning, or interpretation may increase the invoice. |
| Source: fee schedule of the Veterinary Fee Ordinance (GOT) of 15 August 2022, items for cats, base fees multiplied by 1.19 for VAT and by the rate shown; medication, materials and anaesthesia are billed on top. Emergency treatment: two to four times the base fee plus €50 net emergency fee. | |||||
Why the single rate is rarely what you pay
A cat rarely leaves the practice with one fee item. A limping outdoor cat means an examination, an X-ray, sedation, possibly surgery and a clinic stay, each billed at a multiplier the vet chooses within the legal range, plus medication and materials at cost. At the triple rate an ovariohysterectomy alone stands at more than €300 before anaesthesia and materials; a fracture or a swallowed foreign body runs into four figures once diagnostics, surgery and aftercare are added. That is the risk a surgery plan is built for, and the reason every provider prices a young cat far lower than a seven-year-old: the earlier the policy starts, the fewer conditions count as pre-existing.
Tooth resorption (FORL) is the dental condition insurers single out for cats, and it is treated with X-rays, extractions under anaesthesia and aftercare. Lassie lists FORL among the diagnoses with a special waiting period of 18 months and covers accident-related dental treatment from the second day; Getsafe caps tooth extractions and root treatments for cats at €150 a year in its Comfort plans and adds a yearly dental budget in Premium; Feather’s Plus plan carries a dental allowance of €150 a year (provider terms and websites, as of 24 September 2026). If your cat is older than a kitten, this clause decides more than the monthly premium.
Is cat insurance mandatory in Germany?
There is no compulsory health insurance for animals in Germany, and no state requires a liability policy for a cat. What some states do regulate is the outdoor cat itself: under § 13b of the Animal Welfare Act the states may restrict the free roaming of fertile cats, and Hamburg (regulation in force since 1 January 2026) and Schleswig-Holstein (regulation published on 26 June 2026, with a six-month transition period) require outdoor cats to be microchipped and registered and fertile outdoor cats to be neutered, at the owner’s expense. Many municipalities elsewhere have similar rules.
No separate liability insurance for cats
As the keeper of an animal you are liable under § 833 of the Civil Code for the damage it causes, without fault and without an upper limit, and that applies to a cat as much as to a dog. The difference lies in where the cover sits: the industry model terms for personal liability insurance include the keeper of tame pets and small animals and exclude only dogs, cattle, horses and other riding and draught animals. A cat is therefore covered by your personal liability insurance; dog owners need a separate policy, compulsory in six federal states, which our guide to dog liability insurance in Germany explains.
Cats in personal liability insurance: what the rented flat is worth
Whether your cat lives indoors or outdoors makes no difference to the cover, and even a cat that runs onto the road and causes an accident is a claim under the policy, subject to its terms. The clause that matters to tenants is the one on damage to rented rooms: the model terms cover it, but exclude wear and tear and excessive use, glass where it can be insured separately, and damage to heating and electrical installations. Scratched parquet, shredded wallpaper and a clawed door are the everyday case of exactly that exclusion, so do not expect the liability policy to pay for them at move-out; a sudden accident, such as a knocked-over aquarium flooding the flat below, is what it is for.
The two types of cat insurance
For medical costs, cat owners choose between two types of German cat insurance:
- Full cover (Krankenversicherung) pays for illnesses and accidents: examinations, diagnostics, medication, operations and, depending on the plan, a budget for vaccinations, worming and check-ups.
- Surgery-only cover (OP-Versicherung) pays for medically necessary operations under anaesthesia and the costs directly linked to them: pre-operative diagnostics, the clinic stay and aftercare for a set number of days.
How cat health insurance works
Cat and dog health insurance reimburse the costs of veterinary treatment up to a multiple of the GOT base fee: Lassie pays up to four times the base fee in every case, Getsafe three times and four times in a confirmed emergency, Feather three times and four times in the emergency service (provider terms and help pages, as of 24 September 2026). Cats are cheaper to insure than dogs at every provider, because the operations are smaller and the breed-related risks fewer.
Benefits
Depending on the plan, benefits can include:
- Accommodation in a veterinary clinic
- Diagnostic tests and imaging
- Medication and consumables
- Medically necessary operations
- Non-surgical therapies
- Outpatient and inpatient treatment
Surgery plan or full cover
Every plan in the comparison lets you use any licensed vet or clinic in Germany, and every plan pays for prescribed medication within its scope. The difference is what triggers a claim.
A surgery plan pays when an operation under anaesthesia is medically necessary, and with it the diagnostics that led to it, the clinic stay and the aftercare: Lassie covers the ten days before the operation and thirty days after it, Getsafe fifteen days of aftercare in its Comfort plans and thirty in Premium. Operations themselves are unlimited at Lassie and Feather; Getsafe’s annual limit stands in the policy schedule.
Full cover adds everything that does not need an operation: infections, allergies, kidney and thyroid disease, dental treatment and, in the higher plans, a prevention budget. Lassie’s Mini plan caps treatment at €1,000 a year, Midi caps it in the first two years and Maxi not at all; Feather’s Plus plan caps treatment at €800 a year and Getsafe’s Comfort at the amount in the schedule, with Premium unlimited (provider terms and websites, as of 24 September 2026).
Most German insurers reimburse you after you have paid the vet; Lassie settles directly with participating practices, so that you only pay your deductible there, and Getsafe and Feather reimburse against the uploaded invoice. Keep a reserve for the first bill, and for a planned operation ask the insurer for written confirmation of cover before the appointment.
How a claim works
After treatment, pay the itemised invoice and upload it in the insurer’s app. The insurer checks whether the treatment is covered, whether the waiting period has passed, whether the GOT multiplier is within what the plan reimburses, and whether an exclusion applies, above all a condition that existed before the policy or during the waiting period. The covered amount is transferred to your bank account, less any deductible you chose.
Moving to Germany with an older cat
Age limits differ sharply: Feather accepts cats only up to their sixth birthday, Getsafe only under eight, Lassie at any age and even with pre-existing conditions, which are then excluded (provider websites and terms, as of 24 September 2026). Whatever the provider, a condition your cat was treated for in the two years before the start date will not be covered, so insure as soon as you arrive and keep the vaccination record, previous diagnoses and medication list to hand; Lassie waives its waiting periods for kittens up to 120 days old with a vet’s health certificate issued in the first ten days of the policy.
Each cat gets its own policy at all three providers; Getsafe asks during the application whether you want to insure several pets and issues one offer for all of them. Discounts for a second animal are not published on the English product pages, so compare the quotes rather than assuming one.
Choosing the right cat insurance
Five clauses decide more than the premium:
- Waiting periods: about a month for illness at all three English-language providers (30 days at Lassie and Feather, one month at Getsafe); accidents from the second day at Lassie and from the first at Getsafe and Feather; and a long list of hereditary or breed-related conditions with 12 months (Getsafe), 18 months (Lassie, including FORL) or 6 to 18 months (Feather).
- Reimbursement rate: up to four times the GOT base fee at Lassie, three times at Getsafe and Feather with four times in an emergency. A plan that stops at the double rate leaves you paying the difference at every specialist.
- Limits: operations are unlimited in the plans compared here; treatment limits range from €800 or €1,000 a year to none.
- Deductible: a fixed amount per claim (Lassie, chosen at sign-up), a percentage (Feather, 0 or 20 per cent) or none (Getsafe’s examples are quoted without one). It lowers the premium and costs you at every claim.
- Exclusions: conditions from before the policy or the waiting period, neutering without a medical reason (covered only in Lassie’s Maxi plan), and cosmetic procedures.
Cat insurance in English: Lassie, Getsafe and Feather
Twelve cat plans appear in the comparison above. ARAG, Barmenia Direkt and hepster sell in German only; three providers run the application, the app and the claims process in English, and this is what they publish:
| Criterion | Lassie | Getsafe | Feather |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who you contract with | HDI Global Specialty SE is the insurer; Lassie sells, administers and settles claims | Getsafe Digital GmbH sells and manages the policy as a licensed intermediary; the insurer is andsafe AG | Feather (Popsure Deutschland GmbH) is a licensed insurance agent; the insurer is named in the policy terms |
| Plans | Surgery, Mini, Midi, Maxi | Surgery Comfort, Full Cover Comfort, Full Cover Premium | Surgery, Plus |
| Reimbursement | Up to 4x GOT, also in emergencies | 3x GOT, 4x in a confirmed emergency including the emergency fee | 3x GOT, 4x in the emergency service |
| Operations | Unlimited in every plan | Limit per the policy schedule (Comfort), unlimited (Premium) | Unlimited |
| Treatment outside surgery | Mini €1,000 a year; Midi limited in the first two years; Maxi unlimited; prevention budget €35, €100 or €140 a year | Comfort per the schedule, Premium unlimited; prevention budget once (Comfort) or yearly (Premium) | Plus: €800 a year, dental €150, prevention €70 |
| Waiting periods | 30 days; accidents 2 days; 18 months for HD, ED, OCD, patella luxation, eyelid defects, brachycephalic syndrome and FORL; waived for kittens up to 120 days with a vet’s certificate | One month; twelve months for a list of named illnesses; accidents, prevention and online vet from day one; waiting periods already served with a previous insurer are credited | 30 days; 6 months for entropion, umbilical hernia and medically indicated neutering; 18 months for ectropion, ED, HD, patella luxation and radius curvus; accidents from day one |
| Age at start | From 8 weeks, no upper limit; pre-existing conditions insurable with exclusions | From 8 weeks to under 8 years | From 8 weeks to under 6 years, then lifelong |
| Contract | 12 months, then cancel daily; Lassie waives its right to cancel after a claim | 12 months, then daily (terms 2025) | Not stated on the product page |
| Abroad | Temporary stays up to 12 months, at German GOT rates | Worldwide during trips up to 12 months | Worldwide |
| Starting price | Quoted in the calculator | From €6 a month (dogs and cats) | Quoted in the calculator |
| Sources: Lassie general terms (February 2026) and product information documents, English product pages; Getsafe English product page and terms 2025; Feather English product page and help-centre articles (January to March 2026). Premiums: see the cards above from our product database. | |||
Lassie
Lassie is the newest of the three in Germany and the one with the fewest entry barriers: no upper age limit, pre-existing conditions accepted with exclusions, reimbursement up to four times the base fee in every case, direct settlement with participating practices and a promise not to cancel after a claim, written into the terms as a waiver of the insurer’s right under § 92 of the Insurance Contract Act. The policy is underwritten by HDI Global Specialty SE in Hanover; Lassie’s German branch sells and administers it and pays claims on the insurer’s behalf. The app adds a prevention budget and small yearly discounts for completed courses and vaccinations. Its plan names in the comparison are literal translations of the German ones, so “Cat Mini Full Protection” is the Mini plan.
Getsafe
Getsafe sells three plans for dogs and cats from €6 a month, with accidents, prevention and online vet consultations covered from the first day and illnesses after a month. Cats can be insured up to their eighth birthday, the annual limit of the Comfort plans stands in the policy schedule, and tooth extractions and root treatments for cats are capped at €150 a year in Comfort. Getsafe Digital GmbH is the licensed intermediary; since the company gave up its own insurer licence in October 2025, andsafe AG is the insurer named in the terms. The contract language is German. Our Getsafe pet insurance review goes through the plans in detail.
Feather
Feather insures cats from eight weeks to their sixth birthday and keeps them covered for life afterwards, with operations unlimited in both plans and, in Plus, yearly allowances for treatment, dental care and prevention. The deductible is 0 or 20 per cent, premiums rise at the ages of one, three, five, seven and nine, and the waiting periods for hereditary conditions run to 18 months. Feather is a licensed insurance agent, not the insurer; the risk carrier is named in the policy documents. Our Feather pet insurance review covers the details.
What drives the premium
Three things set the price at every provider: the plan (surgery-only costs a fraction of full cover), the deductible, and the cat’s age at the start and at each later birthday, because premiums are adjusted in age bands. Getsafe’s terms raise the premium for cats at four, seven and twelve years; Feather adjusts at one, three, five, seven and nine. Whether an outdoor cat pays more depends on the provider’s questionnaire and is not published as a rate. Since the plans differ in limits and waiting periods more than in price, compare the clauses above before the premium.
- A kitten or a young cat: every provider accepts it, waiting periods are short and Lassie waives them with a vet’s certificate.
- An outdoor cat: fractures, bite wounds and swallowed objects are the surgery cases a plan is built for.
- A breed with known hereditary conditions: only a policy older than 18 months will pay for them.
- A cat already in treatment for a chronic condition: that condition stays excluded everywhere, and only Lassie will insure the cat at all beyond eight years.
- A budget that cannot carry the vet bill first: most claims are reimbursed, not settled directly.
- Expecting the liability policy to renovate the flat: scratches and wear are not insured losses.
Conclusion
A cat’s vet bill follows the same fee schedule as a dog’s and can reach four figures for a single operation; a surgery plan covers that risk cheaply, full cover adds the everyday illnesses that make up most of a cat’s lifetime costs. Three providers sell either in English, and they differ in what counts: age limits, the multiplier of the fee schedule they reimburse, the waiting period for hereditary and dental conditions, and whether they can cancel after a claim. Liability needs no separate policy: the personal liability insurance that almost every household holds includes the cat, though not the scratches it leaves in a rented flat.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The cat plans compared here let you use any licensed veterinarian or clinic in Germany, including specialist practices and emergency services. What differs is how much of the bill is reimbursed: the plans pay up to a multiple of the base fee in the statutory fee schedule, three or four times depending on the provider, so a practice that bills at the top of the range is covered by some plans in full and by others only in part.
A surgery plan covers the expensive, unpredictable cases: an operation under anaesthesia with the diagnostics, clinic stay and aftercare that belong to it, unlimited at Lassie and Feather. Full cover adds everything that does not need an operation, from infections and allergies to kidney and thyroid disease and dental treatment, which make up most of what an older cat costs over its life. For a young indoor cat the surgery plan is the cheap safety net; for a cat that will be with you for fifteen years, full cover pays for the years in which the bills become regular.
No. A condition your cat showed signs of or was treated for before the policy started, or during the waiting period, stays excluded at every provider; Getsafe and Lassie look back at the previous 24 months. Lassie still insures cats with pre-existing conditions and writes the exclusion into the policy, Feather and Getsafe may decline the cat. Answer the health questions accurately: an undisclosed condition allows the insurer to refuse the claim or cancel the contract.
Lassie and Getsafe write contracts of twelve months that can then be cancelled daily; Feather does not state its cancellation rules on the product page. Lassie also waives the insurer’s own right to cancel after a claim, so a cat that has cost the insurer money cannot lose its cover for that reason. After a premium increase without an increase in cover you may cancel any German policy under § 40 of the Insurance Contract Act.
Because the premium is calculated for the cat’s age band and moves up at set birthdays: Getsafe’s terms raise it for cats at four, seven and twelve years, Feather at one, three, five, seven and nine. Veterinary prices rise too, and the fee schedule was last reformed in November 2022. An increase is not a reason to switch lightly: a new policy starts with new waiting periods, and anything treated in the meantime becomes a pre-existing condition.
Feather accepts cats only up to their sixth birthday, Getsafe only under eight, and Lassie at any age. Once insured, the cat stays covered for life at all three as long as the policy runs. An older cat pays a higher premium and may face exclusions for conditions it already has, which is why the day you arrive in Germany is the right day to insure it.
Sources and legal basis (as of 24 September 2026)
Statutes and regulations: Veterinary Fee Ordinance (GOT) of 15 August 2022, fee schedule and §§ 1 to 4 GOT (rate range, emergency service); § 833 BGB (liability of animal keepers); § 13b Animal Welfare Act (state powers over free-roaming cats); Schleswig-Holstein cat protection regulation, GVOBl. 2026/53 of 26 June 2026; Hamburg cat protection regulation of 7 January 2025, HmbGVBl. 2025 p. 141, in force since 1 January 2026; § 92 VVG and § 40 VVG (termination rights).
Industry model terms and statistics: GDV model conditions for personal liability insurance (AVB PHV), May 2020, clauses A1-6.6 and A1-6.9; German pet industry associations ZZF and IVH, “Heimtiere in Deutschland”, survey year 2025 (15.7 million cats in 24 per cent of households).
Providers (read on 24 September 2026 unless stated): Lassie general terms for surgery and health insurance (February 2026), Lassie product information document, health insurance, Lassie, cat insurance and cat health insurance; Getsafe, pet health insurance and the terms of the Surgery Comfort, Full Cover Comfort and Full Cover Premium plans linked there (2025); Feather, pet health insurance and Feather help-centre articles on eligibility, waiting periods, plan limits, deductibles and reimbursement (January to March 2026); Feather, licensing information 2026.
Supervisory notices (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, BaFin): transfer of the Getsafe Insurance AG portfolio to andsafe AG, effective 10 November 2025; withdrawal of the Getsafe Insurance AG licence, order of 29 October 2025.
Example vet fees are calculated from the GOT fee schedule (base fee plus 19 per cent VAT); premiums in the comparison come from our own product database and are refreshed automatically.