Pet

With *The Sims: Unleashed*, The Sims Online, *The Sims 2: Pets*, and *The Sims 3: Pets* Sims can own a variety of **pets**. Although all games have small pets that Sims can take care of by feeding and cleaning their cage, these expansion packs allow the Sims to have greater interaction with, and customization of their furry loved ones.

Unlike small pets, these pets can befriend Sims, learn skills, and be bred.

## The Sims: Unleashed

In *The Sims: Unleashed*, Sims get the long-awaited ability to add pets to their families. They can own cats and dogs, both of which are available only in the same small size. Players can add custom skins for pets, and custom meshes allow players to add new breeds. However, since *Unleashed* did not modify Create a Sim, players cannot create pets when creating a family.

Adopting a pet can help Sims at home, especially if they live alone. Dogs can bring the newspaper in every morning if trained, while cats can chase rabbits and gophers away from a vegetable patch. Pets don't necessarily need to be bought, though; if there are stray cats or dogs wandering around the neighborhood, and if a Sim makes friends with one, it can be adopted for free, although this can take time.

Like human Sims, pets have different motives that will need fulfilling, and each have different personalities. For example, a lazy cat isn't about to do a great deal of wandering around, and an aggressive dog might not like Sims pampering it all day.

Sims can buy cat collars from **The Collar Purple** and dog collars from the **Canine Collar Contraption**. To put a collar on a pet, the player will need to select a Sim that has a collar for that type of pet in his or her inventory, then click on the pet. An option to put the collar on the pet will appear.

Cats and dogs each have three skills they can learn. Both cats and dogs can learn tricks and obedience. Cats can learn hunting, while dogs can learn the housebroken skill.

Cats and dogs have two life stages, kitten/puppy and adult. Adult cats and dogs, like human Sims in *The Sims*, are ageless and have indefinite life spans.

Cats and dogs can be told to move by using the Go Here interaction, but cannot be told to use objects. A pet's actions cannot be canceled, but pets with at least three points in the Obedience skill can be told to stop what they're doing.

File:Info information icon.pngNotePlayers with *The Sims: House Party* or a compilation which includes it should note that dogs and cats cannot use the **Anti-Heisenberg Teleporter** or objects based on it.
### House Breaking

It takes time, but a pet needs to learn what it can and can't do. In the case of a dog, the first step is to teach it not to relieve itself in the house. Wait until the dog has to go (toilet thought bubble), step outside the house, and call it. The dog should come to the Sim and relieve itself outdoors. When this happens, praise the dog and give it a treat, so it knows it did well. If the dog relieves itself inside the house, scold it.

The proper use of "Praise" and "Scold" over time will teach a pet where to relieve its bladder, as well as keeping it out of certain rooms. Fortunately, cats will automatically use the litter box as long as there is one.

Fun note: dogs will often help "water" the plants in a vegetable garden. It can't be controlled by the player, but they'll tag along after a Sim while they're weeding and spontaneously make with the watering.

### Breeding

To have more little bundles of fur running around the house, consider breeding pets. Just like Sim babies, puppies and kittens are items. A neglected puppy or kitten will be taken away by Animal Control. It will take three Sim days for the kitten or puppy to mature, and once it does the player will be given the option to keep it or sell it.

### Pet Shows

To participate in a pet show, take a pet to an Old Town lot and enter the competition. If there's a Judging Station in a lot, a Pet Judge will come up to the player's Sim and ask if they want to enter the competition. Pets are judged according to their skills and their mood at the time, so make sure the pet's needs are taken care of before leaving the house. There are various trophies and ribbons that can be won, which can be taken home and placed on the Pet Award Cabinet.

## The Sims Online

 File:Pets-socialgain.jpg
Starting with patch 1.570, Maxis reintroduced pets to *The Sims Online* under New & Improved. Pets in The Sims Online do not count towards the household limit and are treated as NPCs instead. They do not travel with player. Instead, they are kept in carriers that can be put into the player's inventory. Pets in The Sims Online are unable to breed.

Carriers may be brought found in Buy Mode. **Felicitous Feline in Sta-Put Pet Carrier** or **Peppy Puppy in Sta-Put Carrier** for cats and dogs, respectfully. Both cost §15,000 per carrier. Regardless of species, they are always generated at random. Pets are bound to their carrier. Players are often discouraged from using Buy Mode, due to the cost, and advised to go to stores that sell them. Once you've brought a pet, it's given a random name. This may changed at anytime with the "Change Name" option.

Taking care of a pet is identical to Unleashed. When your pet needs something, it will let you know in a number of different ways. One method is by thought balloons, much like regular avatars. If your pet is tired, it will have a bed picture in a thought bubble. If it needs a bath, it will have the shower bubble, and so forth.

Pets have their own species-specific skills. Each species takes a radically different approach. Hunting is both a skill and career exclusive for cats. Their skill follows their career and vice-versa. A cat may receive five promotions in total, starting at Novice Rat Eradicator, moving up to Rookie Rodent Remover, Jerboa Constrictor, Professional Pest Pouncer, and finally Master Mouser. Dogs may be trained in the Obedience skill using the "Sit 'n' Stay" command. A bar will appear over their head while they learn the skill and vanishes when they've been fully train. Players are advice to praise afterwards and repeat the task. A final option for dogs is to attack another player. Attacking another player's Sim is harmless and only lowers the relationship score with that pet. The player is unable to train pets Tricks or Housebreaking.

### Rares

 File:Robot-dog.gif
In The Sims Online, it's possible to own a rare breed. These breeds are simply skins that have a less then average chance then getting compared to all others.

* Dogs: Saint Bernard, Pink Poodle, and the Afghan
* Cats: Tiger, Purple Turkish, and the Cheetah

In addition, each species shares a rare chance of getting their respective robot skin. This skin doesn't change the pet's behavior.

### Running away

 File:Pets-runawayletter.jpg
Pets may runaway for a for a number of reasons, ranging from lack of care to forgetting to put them back in their carrier. Pets that remain safe and sound in their carrier and can't escape once inside. If the player absolutely can't do it themselves, they can have a roommate do it.

Players can put your pet back in its carrier, simply click it and select "Get back in your carrier!" from the pie menu. The carrier will appear next to their Sim and the dog or cat will know to go right inside.

### In The Sims

The community has ported both the rare skins and the carriers back to The Sims: Unleashed. Carriers simply serve as beds due to the differing mechanics.

## FreeSO

In *FreeSO*, pets behave exactly the same way they did in The Sims Online. With the introduction of Volcanic, the community may bring back elements of Unleashed.