Responsible Ownership and Welfare Indicators for Dogs and Cats in Rural Lithuania: Self-Reported Practices and In-Person Assessment

Dogs and cats are increasingly regarded as companion animals and family members, but companionship requires more than affection: it also entails responsibility for their health, reproduction, housing and behavioural needs. Responsible ownership and welfare in rural Baltic and Eastern European settings remain poorly studied. The study included 383 Lithuanian owners (338 rural, 45 urban) and welfare assessments of 85 animals from 53 rural households using an adapted Animal Welfare Assessment Grid. Animal numbers per household differed significantly by residence (p = 0.0008), with 73.1% of rural respondents keeping two or more animals versus 46.7% of urban respondents. Microchipping of all household animals was less often reported by rural than urban respondents (55.5% vs. 86.7%; p = 0.0003), as was rabies vaccination within the previous three years (67.1% vs. 90.9%; p = 0.0047). Neutering of all animals was likewise less common in rural households, although not significantly (50.6% vs. 68.9%; p = 0.0633). Main welfare concerns were environmental enrichment, body condition, frequency of exposure to stressors, behaviour during procedures and the living environment; older animals had poorer scores (p = 0.0004). Rural households kept more animals, while several responsible ownership practices were less consistently implemented, potentially amplifying welfare and population-management consequences and supporting rural education and preventive veterinary initiatives.