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Juliet Survives the Flames: Thanks to Pet Insurance

Disasters happen in every part of the country and around the world. There is no one place that anyone can live that promises to be disaster free. There are floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and even fires.

Many of us have homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance just in case any of these disasters strike. We all try to be prepared with carriers arranged to get our pets out if it has to be done quickly. Maybe you have water and food set aside for your pets just in case you need it. There is one last thing that you can do though. Make sure that your pets have health insurance.

I just read a scary story that had a happy ending. Gina Miller writes from Milwaukee, Wisconsin about her cat Juliet and how she was saved. Gina had been working all day when she got the sort of call that everyone dreads. Her house was on fire! A neighbor had already called 911, but Gina needed to come quickly. She immediately rushed to get there, worried that Juliet, an indoor cat might not get out.

The fire had started upstairs and was engulfed when Gina got there, right behind the firefighters. She didn’t have time to tell them about her cat before one of the firefighters had already busted open the front door. Juliet came rushing out of the house, panicked. Gina lost sight of her and she and her neighbor began scouring the area in the direction she went, fortunately finding her quickly.

A firefighter gave the gasping cat oxygen and when Juliet seemed weak, but was breathing okay, Gina rushed her to the ER vet clinic where she was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. Signs of CO poisoning include lethargy, weakness and collapse.

Fortunately, if removed from the environment and given supplemental oxygen, many pets will recover. There is no way to remove CO from the bloodstream; it must be metabolized. So Juliet stayed over in the hospital for observation, but was fine the next day. Gina was sad to have lost her house, but so glad that she hadn’t lost Juliet too. It was also a relief that pet insurance covered much of the expense.

Pet insurance policies cover emergencies and disaster such as house fires. Pet insurance can really help you do the best for your cat when something like this happens.