A state subsidized insurance will set out to save “kamikaze” cats that fall like a skydiver from a window, dogs and other pets in France. Paris has already announced that it will do so.
The Paris city council said the insurance plan, believed to be a world first, would allow owners to expand their medical care to cover dogs and cats for around 60 euros a year.
The plan is the brainchild of Jean-Philippe Gillet, a communist councillor. But has orgained approval from across the political spectrum. “It was passed by a unanimous vote, with support from both the right and the left,” Gillet said.
Gillet said the council was asking insurers to submit offers “to get the best possible price.” But he believed that the pet mutual fund would not cost owners more than 60 euros a year.
“Compared, Comprehensive private pet insurance usually costs around 2,400 euros per year”said Lionel Schilliger, who runs a veterinary clinic in Paris’s fashionable 16th arrondissement.
The council’s plan has been welcomed by Corinne Vignon, a lawmaker from President Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, who chairs a parliamentary committee on animal welfare.
Rats too? They debate
It is not yet clear whether the city-sponsored insurance plan will cover animals other than dogs and cats, such as rabbits, hamsters, parakeets and more exotic pets. Councilors and animal rights activists also debate whether rats as pets They should be covered.
“Rats must have their place in the plan,” said Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj, president of the communist group in the Paris council.
In Paris there is an invasion of rats: 1.5 to 2 per inhabitant.
Amandine Sanvisens, of the animal rights group Paris Animaux Zoopolis, said insurers They would be reluctant to insure unusual pets.
“There will be a battle between the city council and the insurers and they will decide. It will end up being insurance only for dogs and cats,” he suggested.
Pets everywhere
Even within France, the rules and laws are pet-friendly, and so are the people. Almost fifty percent of all households in France have a pet.
Your pets can easily accompany you anywhere, from restaurants to trains and buses, as long as you follow the rules established for the conduct of each pet in public places. Normally dogs can accompany their owners to the restaurant. They sit them down, put a napkin on them or They give them a plate with their food.
Recent research suggests that pets living in cities are more likely to suffer health complications as a result of pollution and accidents.
Fat cats or parachutists
Veterinarians in Paris often have to treat to the “parachute cats”which fall from the windows of the elegant apartment buildings of the Haussmann era, while trying to catch flies or moths.
“They arrive with a fractured pelvis or legs and we place plates and screws on them, like doctors do with people,” explained veterinarian Lionel Schiliger.
Cats that spend most of their lives indoors are also prone to being overweight, which causes a series of health problems. Those who venture onto the congested city streets risk be run over.
How health insurance works in France
Healthcare in France is largely financed by the state. But most people take out complementary private insurance, known as “mutuelle”.
Dogs that go for a walk on the street are close to car exhaust pipes and suffer the effects of pollution.
Pets in cities are more prone to accidents.The council’s announcement has highlighted the finding that Paris’ 250,000 cats and 100,000 dogs are exposed to more serious health risks than pets living in other parts of France.
“In Paris there is environmental, physical and mental stress and a phenomenon of premature aging,” Dominique Grandjean, a professor at a veterinary school, told Le Parisien newspaper.
Pet diseases
Lionel Schilliger said common pet illnesses in Paris include leptospirosisan infection transmitted by rat urine, which dogs contract by drinking water from puddles or licking grass in public parks.
The council’s announcement has highlighted the finding that Paris’ 250,000 cats and 100,000 dogs are exposed to more serious health risks than pets living in other parts of France.
The council’s plan has been welcomed by Corinne Vignon, an MP from President Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, who chairs a parliamentary committee on animal welfare.
More than half of French households have dogs, cats, fish or rodents. Fish are the most popular pet (36 million), followed by cats and dogs, with 10.7 m and 7.8 m respectively. A quarter of households have a dog and almost a third at least one cat.
The French love their animals
The British are said to be an animal-loving nation. But in reality it is the French who have more pets than any other European, with 61.6 million pets for a population of 64 million. And they spend about 3,000 million euros a year on them. A quarter of households have a dog and almost a third at least one cat.
The figures come from a study by the animal health insurance company SantéVet, which also found that cat ownership is increasing, due to the reduction in living spaces and the shortage of gardens.
At the same time, the cost of owning a pet is increasing. Three-quarters of that €3 billion figure is spent on pet food – a sector that employs around 20,000 people in France – and that food is becoming more specialized and more expensive.
The costs
The founder of online pet food store Croquetteland, Jean-Stéphane Pouverot, said the ranges are now quite specific: “Brands have really increased their ranges, with special biscuits for dogs to combat obesity or dental diseases,” he explained.
The Veterinary care is also increasingly expensive: has increased 72% in 10 years. SantéVet confirms that there is also greater specialization here. Veterinarians offer specific services in ophthalmology, dermatology, cardiology or oncology.
The ordinary consultations They cost between 30 and 50 eurosBut the treatments can range between about 150 euros per month for a dog with skin allergies and 2,000 euros for a chemotherapy treatment. Other pet care options have also been growing, from the standard grooming salon to massage and osteopathy and even Internet dating sites.
However, some pets are cheaper than others. SantéVet states that a dog costs an average of 1,300 euros per yearwhile a snake costs only 80 euros.
Watch your language: political correctness has reached animals
An animal ethics magazine in the United States recommends that people follow the French and say “pet” instead of “pet,” which is considered “derogatory.”
Scholars also suggest that we should not say “wild” but “free-living” animals, because “wild” sounds “uncivilized.”
