Pet Insurance Cost: Dog vs. Cat — Which Is Cheaper Monthly?

Cat insurance is consistently less expensive than dog insurance. Across all coverage types and most age groups, insuring a cat costs significantly less per month than insuring a dog of comparable age — and an indoor cat tends to sit at the lower end of the cat premium range. Understanding why the gap exists, and what drives your specific quote, helps set realistic expectations before you compare plans.

Average Monthly Premiums: Dogs vs. Cats

According to NAPHIA (North American Pet Health Insurance Association)¹, the most recently reported average monthly premiums for accident and illness coverage were $62.44 for dogs and $32.21 for cats¹. For accident-only coverage — which covers injuries but not illness — the averages were $16.10 per month for dogs and $9.17 per month for cats¹.

In both plan types, cats cost roughly half what dogs cost. That gap holds across the market and narrows only slightly when comparing young, healthy pets with modest coverage configurations.

Why Dogs Cost More to Insure

The premium gap reflects a real difference in the underlying cost of veterinary care — and how frequently that care is needed.

Dogs generate more claims. Dogs are generally more active, more likely to sustain traumatic injuries, and more likely to ingest objects or encounter environmental hazards. This higher claims frequency is priced into premiums.

Dogs face costlier procedures. Orthopedic surgery — cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) repair, hip replacement — is significantly more common in dogs than in cats, and the procedures carry substantial costs. According to CareCredit², cancer therapy averages $5,351 for dogs and $3,980 for cats² — a meaningful difference that reflects the higher treatment costs insurers pay out for dogs.

Dogs have more breed-specific hereditary risk. Flat-faced breeds (French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs) face airway and orthopedic issues; large breeds face hip dysplasia and heart disease; certain breeds carry elevated cancer rates. This breed-concentrated risk pools into higher average premiums across the dog market.

Dogs spend more at the vet annually. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)³, dog owners spent an average of $598 on veterinary care in 2025, compared to $529 for cat owners³. These routine-plus-sick-visit averages understate the gap at the high end — major surgeries and cancer treatment skew much higher for dogs.

What “Medium-Sized Dog” Means for Premiums

Among dogs, body weight is one of the factors insurers use to set premiums. Larger dogs tend to cost more to insure than smaller dogs, partly because larger animals require more anesthesia, larger implants, and longer surgeries when procedures are needed.

A medium-sized dog — generally in the 25–60 pound range, depending on the insurer’s size brackets — will typically fall in the middle of the dog premium range: more expensive than a small mixed-breed dog, less expensive than a large or giant breed. The breed itself matters as well; a medium-sized French Bulldog or Cocker Spaniel (breeds with documented health predispositions) may be quoted higher than a medium-sized mixed-breed dog of the same age and weight.

What “Indoor Cat” Means for Premiums

Lifestyle affects cat insurance pricing. Indoor cats are less likely to sustain traumatic injuries from cars, predators, or fights with other animals — and some insurers reflect this lower exposure risk in their premiums. An indoor-only cat will typically receive a lower quote than an indoor-outdoor cat or a cat with outdoor access.

That said, the indoor premium advantage should not create a false sense of security about costs. Indoor cats face the same internal health risks as outdoor cats: urinary tract disease, hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, dental disease, and cancer. These conditions — not outdoor injuries — drive most of the large claims for cats.

Factors That Shape Your Actual Quote

Beyond species, these variables affect the premium for both dogs and cats:

Understanding how deductibles, reimbursement rates, and annual limits interact is important when comparing quotes — a lower premium with a high deductible may cost more out of pocket when a claim occurs, while a slightly higher premium with a low deductible may provide better value for a pet with frequent veterinary needs.

The Practical Picture: A Medium Dog vs. an Indoor Cat

Using NAPHIA industry averages as a reference point, a medium-sized dog enrolled in an accident and illness plan will typically cost somewhere in the range of the dog average of $62.44/month¹ — though mixed-breed dogs without documented hereditary conditions and favorable deductible configurations can fall well below this figure.

An indoor cat in the same plan type, at the same general age, will typically fall near or below the cat average of $32.21/month¹ — and indoor-only status may push the quote lower still.

The gap between the two is real and consistent: across most configurations and ages, insuring a cat costs materially less than insuring a medium-sized dog. Understanding what each plan help covers helps ensure that a lower-cost policy still provides meaningful protection for the conditions most likely to affect your specific pet.

Getting an Accurate Quote

Published averages are useful for setting expectations — but your actual quote reflects your specific pet. The most reliable way to compare costs is to get a quote for your dog or cat using their actual age, breed, and zip code, then adjust the deductible, reimbursement rate, and annual limit to compare how each variable moves the premium. Running the same configuration for both a dog and a cat makes the species cost gap visible side by side.

Reviewing common pet insurance terms before comparing plans — including how reimbursement is calculated and what “annual deductible” means versus “per-incident deductible” — prevents surprises when a claim is filed.

Unexpected vet bills can happen when you least expect them, but pet insurance may help make those costs more manageable. Having coverage in place can help pet parents feel more prepared for emergency care, surgery, diagnostics, and treatment for covered conditions.

Spot Pet Insurance offers dog insurance plans starting at $15/month^ and cat insurance plans starting at $9/month^^, helping to make it easier to find coverage that fits your budget. Spot also makes filing claims simple with a digital claims process that lets pet parents submit a claim in 60 seconds or less. Get a free quote.

_{^ Advertised premium is based on an accident and illness plan with an 80% reimbursement rate, $500 annual deductible, and a $2,500 annual limit for a 2-year-old small mixed dog (11-25lbs) in 32009. Plan costs vary.}

_{^^ Advertised premium is based on an accident and illness plan with an 80% reimbursement rate, $750 annual deductible, and a $2,500 annual limit for a 2-year-old mixed cat in 33801. Plan costs vary.}