Typically, most pet insurance policies won’t cover pre-existing conditions. These are conditions your pet had before the policy started – such as diabetes.

This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to insure your pet, it just means your pet won’t be covered for claims relating to that condition.

We don’t compare policies that cover pre-existing conditions, but you might be able to find a specialist policy.

You may also be able to find a policy that covers historical pre-existing conditions. They’re conditions your pet has had in the past but hasn’t had symptoms or treatment for in a specified period of time – for example, in the past two years.

However, these types of specialist policies are rare and might not cover all conditions.

Insurance premiums often go up as your pet gets older. That’s because they’re more likely to suffer from health conditions, and for insurance providers, they’re more of a risk. Your policy excess might go up too.

If you want to insure an older cat or older dog, make sure you shop around and remember that cheap pet insurance may not always provide the best cover. Look for the policy that gives you the level of cover your older pet needs.

For most types of pet insurance, you’ll have to pay an excess with each claim. Excess is the amount you pay towards a claim. Pet insurance policies can have:

• A set excess – £90 per claim, for example
• A contribution excess – this is a percentage of the claim
• A combination of the two – so, for example, £90 plus 10% of the claim.

Most providers will specify if the excess is likely to change as your pet gets older.

While your address shouldn’t affect the cost of your pet insurance drastically, vet bills do vary across different regions. This means you might find those costs passed on in your premiums.

If you live in London, for example, you’ll likely find vet bills are more expensive than somewhere outside of the capital.

Pet insurance could include cover for boarding your pet in a kennel or cattery if you need to go into hospital and are unable to look after them. There may be a minimum number of days you need to be in hospital for in order to claim.

Check the terms and conditions of your policy to be sure this is covered.

No, there’s usually a waiting period before your pet cover begins. This is to stop people using their new pet insurance policy to cover conditions they already knew their pet had.

Cover usually starts around 14 days after the policy start date. Check the terms and conditions of the specific policy to be sure.

If you can afford to, it’s usually cheaper to pay upfront in one annual payment. If you pay monthly, it’s likely you’ll be charged interest.

You can often get animal insurance for dogs, cats, rabbits and horses. But here at Compare the Market, we only compare prices for pet insurance that covers dogs and cats, including puppies and kittens.

If you have another type of pet, you might need to look for a specialist pet insurance provider. In some cases, it’s possible to get cover for guinea pigs, ferrets, chinchillas, tortoises, snakes, lizards, parrots and other exotic animals.

Some insurance providers offer multi-pet insurance, so if you insure more than one pet with them, you might get a discount. This type of policy could also be easier to manage in terms of paperwork.

Currently, you can’t compare multi-pet insurance with us. But most of the providers you can compare through us have the option of adding a pet to your policy.

To do this, run a comparison search on our site for one pet and find the policy you want. Then click through to that policy provider’s site and see if it gives you the option to add another pet to the policy.