Once you buy a new puppy or kitten, you are bound to get a bit more damage around your home, due to scratching and biting. However, because of the nature of this damage, you are not really covered by your home insurance policy.Instead,it is better to just try and prevent harm to your furniture, and insure your new puppy or kitten against any future health problems.
Damage Caused by Pets
So what kind of damage is your pet likely to cause around the house? Here are some of them:
- Torn or pulled down curtains.
- Scratched seating, especially fabric-covered seating.
- Soiled carpets and dirty flooring, from pet urine and other messes.
- Chewed shoes, socks, and anything else that will fit in a puppy’s mouth.
So, while acquiring a new kitten or puppy may seem like a cute idea, make sure you can handle the mess and destruction around your home. This will not last forever though, as good training and age will get dogs and cats out of any scratching or biting habits.
Extra Insurance for Your Pets
While you can’t cover your home for any damage caused by your pets, you can cover your pets for any accidents, and even vet visits. Taking out cat or dog insurance is relatively easy, and will be the same process as when you buy car or home insurance. This will cover you for the cost of any major medical treatment for your pet, should they be injured. Depending on the policy you buy, you might also be entitled to rebates for any trips to the vet.
Extra Insurance for Your Home
If you do not want a stand-alone pet insurance policy, you can often add optional extras to your home insurance. While this won’t insure you for destroyed household items, it will provide some protection against pet injuries. The best insurance you can get for your home,with a puppy or kitten around, is vigilance. Keep an eye on your puppies and make sure small items are put away, and cover furniture if you have to, while you train your new pet.
Other People’s Pets
So what do you do if someone else’s pet comes and does harm to your home? Can you claim against their insurance? While you probably can’t, you can take the matter up with the pet’s owner, and most would be willing to cover any damage caused by their pets. Otherwise, the only real action to take would be to take the owner to court, and most would find an owner at least partly responsible for their pet’s actions.
Take care when you are introducing a new animal into your home, and check to see if your yard is secure. Dogs, in particular, are very fond of digging, so try and prevent that by fillingconcrete around your fence line, at least so they can’t dig under. This will also prevent other animals from digging into your yard. However, cats are a lot harder to stop, due to their great climbing and jumping abilities, so make sure they have a bell or other identifier.
