Species-specific differences across the rural-urban spectrum for perceived veterinary visit costs among U.S. pet owners.

Introduction: Financial barriers are among the most significant threats to companion animal welfare in the United States, yet little is known about how pet owners' perceived costs of veterinary care vary by geography or species. Rural cat owners in particular face compounding access challenges, including lower veterinary availability, reduced care-seeking norms, and potential differences in price expectations relative to non-rural counterparts. This study examines whether rural, suburban, and urban pet owners differ in their perceived cost of a routine veterinary visit and whether any such perception gap is species-specific. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey of US adults administered in November 2025. The sample comprised 2,216 dog- and cat-cost observations from 1,885 unique respondents (574 Rural, 759 Suburban, 552 Urban). Respondents reported their expected cost of a routine veterinary visit for their dog, cat, or both. Perceived costs were log-transformed to address right skew. Ordinary least squares regression models estimated the association of community type (Rural [reference], Suburban, Urban) on log-transformed perceived cost, controlling for household income, age, gender, and established veterinarian status. A species-by-community interaction term tested whether the community-type effect differed between dog and cat owners. Results: The rural versus non-rural cost perception gap was species-specific. For dogs, perceived visit costs did not differ significantly by community type. For cats, rural owners perceived substantially lower routine visit costs than suburban and urban owners. Those without an established veterinarian also held significantly lower cost expectations. Discussion: Rural cat owners hold lower perceived routine veterinary visit costs than non-rural counterparts, which could be attributable to reduced care exposure, local fee anchoring, and cultural ownership norms. The absence of a parallel effect among dog owners suggests this pattern reflects something specific to rural feline ownership rather than a general rural information disadvantage. These findings extend the literature on rural veterinary access disparities by identifying a cognitive mechanism that may compound structural barriers and contribute to the rural feline preventive care deficit. Interventions targeting proactive cost communication, pricing transparency, and community outreach programs could improve financial preparedness among rural cat owners and reduce the gap between cost expectations and actual care costs.