Research by online pollster You Gov found that one in three single women owns a cat and they spend a collective £1 billion a year on meeting their every whim.

The individual bill for everything from food, litter, annual vaccinations, toys, cat-sitters, cattery fees and insurance adds up to £1,043 a year, according to Churchill Insurance, which commissioned the research.

With cats living about 13 years on average, that puts the lifetime bill at about £13,500 without taking account of inflation. But the bills could rocket for those who opt out of buying insurance.

Visits to the vet can be expensive. If a cat needs an MRI scan, for example, the owner might have to pay £1,000. Churchill says the average claim on cat insurance is £300.

For some owners who have already shelled out a fortune on their pet, the thought of high insurance premiums could be galling. Those living in London and the South-East can be faced with annual premiums of £150 to £200 or more for the best policies and the excess per claim is likely to be £35 to £80. Over a lifetime, the premiums could reach £1,850.

Singleton Deborah Phillips, 24, a dance teacher from New Barnet, Hertfordshire, did not hesitate to take out a plan from Churchill for her seven-month-old black and white cat Munkin.

Deborah bought Munkin for a token £10 from a friend, but soon found that the spending had only just begun. 'There were injections to pay for and I had him neutered and fitted with a microchip for identification,' she says. 'I also bought him everything under the sun, including a four-foot high scratching post and a proper cat toilet with a roof and cat flap.

'I also shopped around for insurance because I didn't want to risk not being covered if something went wrong.'

Finding the right policy can be difficult. Some plans, for example, will only pay out for a single condition for a year, while other providers such as Pinnacle, Marks & Spencer and Pet Plan will pay out as long as the condition lasts.

Some plans will also include benefits a client might not want.

Insurers may offer extras such as death benefit, bereavement counselling for owners and cover for reward money for a stolen or lost pet. Some will also pay for psychological treatment for a pet or homeopathic treatments.

Pet owners should also pay close attention to the terms of policies. Cheaper plans may mean having to pay between 25 and 35% of expensive treatments. So buyers should not choose insurance on price alone.

Finally, most insurers will offer first-time cover to cats up to ten years old, though a few have a younger cut- off point.

Once the pet is already insured, though, most will continue cover, so long as owners renew each year. But premiums may rise with age.