Showing posts with label Insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Insurance. Show all posts

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Pets really are good for you!

For those of you who don’t own pets, you may not fully understand why pet owners dedicate so much of their time, effort and attention to their furry members of the family. Recent stories have shown the extremes of this recently, with some pet owners finding their dogs a suitable partner to marry and 1 in 10 pets now having their very own Facebook pages!

But why is this? Why are these animals getting pampered to a life of luxury when some believe they will give nothing but a mess in the back garden back? A recent study published by the American Psychological Association may have the answer to this.

Most people generally depend of human interactions for social support, but can your pet cat give you similar results? It has been widely reported that for people with health problems, animals have been helpful in facilitating that said person’s emotional well-being and physical recovery. But this new study gives evidence that suggests that you don’t have to be ill to benefit from the company of animals.

Three studies aimed to see if everyday people did in fact benefit from their pets. They found that they had better self-esteem, were more socially communicative and generally less fearful than those who did not have an animal companion in their lives. They also found that when a participant had experienced rejection in their lives, their pets would give them a good level of support to make them feel better.

Participants were also asked to write about their favourite pet and one of their friends. The results from this showed that writing about a pet has the same positive effects as when they are writing about a friend.

This is the first study of its kind to focus on the benefits of pets to everyday people. Past studies have only focused on the benefits pets have to owners who are struggling with health problems.

So if your parents or loved ones are sceptical about adding a furry edition to the household, it might be worth bringing up the fact that pets have shown evidence of positively changing your life.

It may also be worth considering that if your pets are giving your all of these benefits to you, maybe it’s time to return the favour and show how much you care...

Visit ePet for pet insurance to protect against unforeseen incidents that can affect both your pet and your pocket. ePet offers a variety of policies to suit you and your pet. Each year 1 in 3 pets are injured or become ill and need urgent veterinary treatment. We can help cover the cost of these unexpected bills for as little as 13p a day, leaving you with the important job of helping your important member of the family back to full recovery.
Read more about this story here.

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Thursday, 16 June 2011

Britons still reluctant to take out travel insurance – but at what cost?

It’s that time of the year again – Britain’s unpredictable ‘summer’ weather is here which means that holidaymakers across the UK will takes their chances abroad for warmer weather.

Planning on what one needs to take with them on holiday can usually be a stressful experience. Whilst trying to make sure all the essentials are packed such as tickets and passports; new research has shown that holidaymakers are choosing not to pack one vital item... Travel Insurance.

Around 12 million Brits have made plans to visit friends and family abroad this summer, with many more expected to book last minute deals online. However, despite this huge figure, only half of young people have taken out insurance. Research published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) found that 39% of people who were visiting friends and family in Africa did not take out travel insurance on their previous trip and only 48% took out travel insurance when visiting relatives in South Asia.

Many people feel that travel insurance is redundant when visiting friends or family abroad, regardless of where they are travelling in the world. In reality, it’s the most important item to pack in your suitcase. The foreign office are reminding those who don’t take out travel insurance run the risk of facing a colossal medical bill, whether they are visiting friends and family or not.

In order to tackle these alarming statistics, the FCO have launched a new ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign, which aims to remind Brits to make sure they have obtained appropriate travel insurance before they jet off. The FCO has also released some examples of foreign medical costs. For example, a broken arm in Spain can cost £5,000, whereas getting an air ambulance in Australia can leave you with a bill of £100,000.

The same costs can apply to potential diseases you may catch while abroad. For example the Health Protection Agency (HPA) have recently warned that the rise in malaria cases in UK, which has seen a 30% increase in cases, is potentially down to travellers staying with friends and family abroad and not taking the necessary precautions. The HPA believes that this is because many travellers staying with people they know believed they would not be at risk when they know the area they were visiting. However, those who have not taken out insurance will not be able to rely on the Foreign Office to arrange better medical treatment or pay bills for any British travellers.

Besides these facts, many still see travel insurance as an unnecessary extra when planning a holiday, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. This blog only scratches the surface of potential risks travellers face when going abroad, with many more (for example, ash clouds cancelling flights) that could also be detrimental to travellers and their wallets. Even the slightest injury abroad or losing an item of luggage could leave you with a bill that costs more than the holiday itself.

With the ability now to obtain online travel insurance at a cheap and affordable price, there really is no excuse. It should be a priority after you’ve booked your flight and accommodation. You can then get back to the other important task... looking forward to your holiday!

Check out eTraveller to see how much money you can save on your travel insurance. You can get a quote in seconds, with a choice between Essential and Extra cover to suit your own individual needs. Click here to see how much money you can save.

For more on this story, click here.


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Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Hitchhiker Cat Travels Over 400 Miles from Home

Charlie is a one-year-old black and white moggy. Recently she vanished from her owner Natasha Jones, 18, only to be found four months later... 400 miles from home!
Natasha currently lives in Tywardreath, Cornwall. She bought Charlie, along with her brother Bruster from a nearby farm over the Christmas period. Both cats were being house trained before they were let outside to roam the neighborhood. However, when both cats were let out for the first time in February, only Bruster returned a few hours later with Charlie nowhere to be seen. Weeks went by and with still no sight of Charlie, sadly she was presumed dead.
Natasha frantically attempted to find her beloved cat by posting flyers across town, hoping that someone would spot her and hand her in. It was not until 4 months later that Natasha received a call, explaining her cat had been found 400 miles away in North Wales.
 Representatives from the RSPCA said that it’s quite common for cats to wonder away from their homes, but for Charlie to travel such great a distance was unbelievable.
Charlie was found injured on the side of the road at the port of Holyhead, North Wales. RSPCA Inspector Mike Pugh said that they only realised that the cat had an owner when they spotted her collar. When she was found, she was reported to have been in a lot of pain and was terribly frightened.
As to how she ended up 400 miles from home is currently unknown. The most likely explanation would be that she hitched a ride with a van or lorry. The RSPCA have begun asking many van drivers who travelled from Cornwall to the north of Wales in February to get in touch if they have any further details on this story.
This story, although having a happy ending, highlights a valuable lesson in keeping our pets safe. Pets have a tendency to get themselves into trouble and it is up to the owners to ensure that they are kept out of harm’s way as much a possible. Many pets that have gone missing have been reported to have been found again hundreds of miles from their homes, months or even years after they have been reported missing. So getting your pets microchipped should be a necessity for all families.
Also many lost animals, like Charlie, don’t have enough experience in wild environments, which means that the chances of them being hurt or injured are very high. This means that families may have to pay thousands in veterinary bills. Therefore, pet insurance should be something all families need to consider.
Natasha has been reunited with Charlie and is now being nursed back into good health. They are now also getting Charlie microchipped just in case she decides to set off on another long distance adventure!
Visit ePet for pet insurance to protect against unforeseen incidents that can affect both your pet and your pocket. ePet offers a variety of policies to suit you and your pet. Each year 1 in 3 pets are injured or become ill and need urgent veterinary treatment. We can help cover the cost of these unexpected bills for as little as 13p a day, leaving you with the important job of helping your important member of the family back to full recovery.
Read more about this story here.
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