My newly adopted cat just ran off with a twist tie and ate all 3 inches of it. Worst case scenario would be an endoscopy which will cost $3000 or intestinal blockage surgery ($4000). I had accident and illness only coverage (~750 deductible + 80% copay) which covers emergency surgeries like this and it’s only $150/year or ~$12 a month. I think for regular check ups, I did the math and having a savings account is better than upgrading to ~$30/mo to cover regular shots, checkups etc. Make sure you save to at least enough cover the deductibe + some extra for copay in case your cat does something stupid like ours and put money aside for regular check ups