Hereditary risks, breed-specific cover considerations, and the NZ pet insurers offering cat cover.
Siamese have significant PRA and hereditary liver amyloidosis risk. Cover must include vision loss and hepatic disease from hereditary causes. Amyloidosis has no predictive DNA test, so family history is critical.
Sourced from UK Kennel Club Breed Health & Conservation Plans, Royal Veterinary College VetCompass, and peer-reviewed veterinary literature. Every condition cited; pop-vet sources excluded.
Siamese carry the CEP290 mutation causing autosomal recessive PRA. First presents as night blindness between 1-2 years of age, progressing to complete blindness. DNA test available.
Siamese and related breeds (Oriental, Burmese) are predisposed to hereditary amyloidosis with liver as primary target organ. Onset typically 1-5 years of age; leads to liver failure, rupture, and bleeding. No genetic test available; breeding from affected or severely affected relatives is not recommended.
All 8 NZ pet insurers in our wording index offer cat cover. Wordings differ on hereditary conditions, waiting periods, age caps, and excess. Snapshot generated 2026-05-20.
AA Pet Insurance
View wording details →
Cove Pet Insurance
View wording details →
PD Insurance
View wording details →
Petcover (Petplan NZ)
View wording details →
PetNSur
View wording details →
Southern Cross Pet Insurance
View wording details →
SPCA Pet Insurance
View wording details →
Tower Pet Insurance
View wording details →
60-second scenario matcher — filter by hereditary cover, waiting period, age caps and what you can afford. Sourced from real insurer wordings, not marketing pages.
Find my top 3 policies →Siameses are most commonly screened for: Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), Familial amyloidosis. Each condition has a different prevalence and a different impact on pet insurance cover — see the sources cited above for the underlying veterinary literature.
It depends on the wording. Some NZ pet insurance policies cover hereditary and congenital conditions after a waiting period; some exclude them entirely; some cover with breed-specific exceptions. The condition must not have been pre-existing at the time you took out the policy. Use our policy match to filter by hereditary cover.
Siameses are Medium cat (3–5 kg). Typical lifespan is 15–20 years.
As early as possible — ideally as a puppy before any hereditary or congenital conditions develop or are diagnosed. Once a condition has been observed, treated, or even noted in vet records, NZ pet insurers will treat it as pre-existing and exclude it from future cover. This matters most for breeds with strong hereditary risk profiles.
Not personalised advice. Editorial overview only. NZ pet insurance wordings change — read your policy document and quote with the insurer for binding terms.
Hereditary-condition data sourced from UK Kennel Club, RVC VetCompass, OFA, and peer-reviewed veterinary research. Insurer roster snapshot from 2026-05-20. Page generated 2026-05-29.