What the month is
National Pet Insurance Month is observed in November in the United States. It is an awareness month, not a public holiday and not a sales event run by any single company: insurers, veterinary practices and pet organisations use it to talk about pet insurance, and the coverage gap is the reason it exists. The number that defines that gap comes from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA): at year-end 2024, 6,405,541 pets were insured in the U.S., out of roughly 163.6 million dogs and cats — about 3.9% of American dogs and cats. More than 96% of American pets have no insurance.
The market is growing fast from that small base. NAPHIA's State of the Industry 2025 report, compiled by Willis Towers Watson and covering an estimated 99% of written pet health insurance premium in North America, puts U.S. written premium at $4.74 billion in 2024, up 21.4% on 2023, with 7.03 million pets insured across North America. The number of insured U.S. pets more than doubled in four years, from 3.1 million in 2020 to 6.4 million in 2024 — and still covers fewer than one pet in twenty-five.
What pet insurance costs, and what it does
The average annual premium for accident-and-illness cover in 2024 was $749.29 for a dog (NAPHIA); the previous year's figure for a cat was $383.30 a year. Those are averages: the price for a particular pet depends on breed, age, location and the deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit chosen. A young mixed-breed dog costs less than an older purebred with a known breed risk, and the difference is large enough that a quote for one pet says nothing about the price for another.
Pet insurance in the U.S. is a reimbursement model, as the site's guide to how pet insurance works explains: you pay the vet bill yourself, file a claim, and the insurer reimburses a share of the eligible bill after your deductible. Pre-existing conditions are not covered, and waiting periods apply — usually 14 days for illness, with longer waits for some orthopedic conditions. Those two rules are why the month's message is about timing: the policy bought after a diagnosis does not cover that diagnosis.
What to do during the month
Three checks, in order. First, price cover for your own pet — breed, age and postcode — from at least two insurers, on the same deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit, so the prices are comparable. The pet insurance comparison page sets out the products. Second, read the waiting periods and the pre-existing condition wording before you buy, not after the first claim. Third, if you already have a policy, check the renewal: premiums rise with age, and a policy bought for a puppy costs a different amount for a seven-year-old dog.
No history claim is made here. Some pages trace pet insurance to a single 19th-century origin; the only source found for that claim is a weak single source, and it is omitted rather than repeated. What the record does show is the recent growth: from 3.1 million insured U.S. pets in 2020 to 6.4 million at the end of 2024, and a market that has grown by more than 20% a year for five years. That is the fact the month is about.
Illustrative example only — not a fact about any real policy.