Disabling Seasions But Keeping its Stuff - Want to disable weather or make plants in season year-round? You can do so with my new Seasons Tuner Mod
Improving Sims 4: The past month, I've spent every day tinkering The Sims 4, making quality of life improvements, gameplay changes, and new difficulty settings for the game. If you'd like to learn more about my project, visit the post on Patreon where you can download it now.
Owning a cat or dog in the Sims 4 Cats and Dogs Expansion doesn't add major gameplay changes mechanics-wise, they're just a great household addition. I say that as a pure gameplay guide writer, because it's not exactly easy to write about how owning pets works in terms of gameplay. This should help newer players to understand how to take care of a pet and the realities of owning one. Sims can have fun with pets, build relationships with them, and enjoy socializing with their companion animals. Caring for them is not much different than in reality - feed them, go to the vet, provide them love and make sure they're happy. Despite the differences between the two species and their behaviors in reality, a lot of what goes into caring for them is the same when it comes to owning pets in The Sims 4.
Adopting a Ghost Cat from the Brindleton Bay Pet Cemetery (see bottom of guide)
You'll find the option to adopt a cat or dog under the 'services' menu on your Sim's phone. There you can opt to pay $200 to have an animal care worker visit your home and show off up to three animals. You can use 'get to know' on them, learn their traits, and decide which of them you'd like to keep. You don't have to befriend them, and it seems you can adopt more than one. You may not want a stubborn dog, for they're hard to housebreak. Most breeds seem to have a trait they all come with, such as German Shepherds being smart. When you're done, talk to the animal welfare worker and select, 'end adoption evaluation'.
When you meet a stray animal while out and about in the neighborhood, you can also adopt them that way - which is free. Get to know them a bit and befriend them, and once you're at 'good friends', you can invite them into the household under the friendly menu. A few treats and pets go a long way to securing an animal's friendship. There's a stray named Mayor Whiskers - including tophat - that wanders the town of Brindleton Bay whom you can adopt.
Each pet can have up to 3 separate pet traits, all of which will impact their autonomous choices and behaviors. Some of them are useful for Sims, too, such as having a dog capable of searching. While a guide to what these do is forthcoming, it's worth noting in a basics-of-pets guide. You can learn a pet's traits by using the Get to Know social on them, found under the friendly menu. Interaction with Pets doesn't increase Charisma, because they don't know whether you're being a dork or not.
Pets have all the same needs that Sims do. Or seem to. You won't see them directly, but the pet will tell you very plainly what's wrong if you pay attention to the social cues that appear over its head. You also have the option of clicking the pet, selecting 'pet care' and 'what's wrong'. A box will appear in the notification panel that tells you exactly what the pet needs.
Pets seem to need to eat about once a day. Fill a bowl with food for $5 (found under the kitchen tab in buy mode) and they'll eat when they're hungry. If you have multiple animals, you can buy an automatic food dispenser and set it to refill every x hours. This can save your Sim a lot of time if they're single. Try to make sure enough meals are dispensed each day.
Housebreaking a dog is as simple as asking it to go outside. Thankfully you don't have to wait hours for them to do it.
Be mindful of litter box placement. This won't work, due to pathing mechanics in the game.
Neither adult nor juvenile dogs start knowing how to pee or poop outside, at least when they're made in CAS. Puppies will need help to go outside, so pick them up under the pet care menu. Walk your Sim outside and select 'put down'. Now you can find the option to ask it to go potty. Do this several times, and you'll get a notice that the dog has learned to pee outside. You can also reinforce this by scolding (mean) or lecturing (friendly) them after they have gone indoors. It is as yet unknown if treats reinforce good behavior, but they're only $5 so give it a shot. I've not yet successfully taught a puppy to go outside. I think they learn when grown up.
Dogs get absolutely filthy over time, and must be bathed.
Animals like to have fun, just like humans do. They may end up in a bad mood if they're not provided with toys, unless your Sim plays with them directly. Cats and dogs also like affection, so interaction with other animals and their owners will satisfy that need. Dogs need bathed, though cats can and do take care of themselves. In order to bathe a dog, you'll need to have a bathtub. They can get rather dirty after rolling in their own 'puddles'.
A cat gets a preventative shot from the vet, which will protect it from illness for two full weeks.
Pets can get sick, and when they do it's possible the illness will cure itself. However, some sicknesses are pretty bad. To take your pet to the vet, load up the map and select to travel to the Veterinarian clinic in Brindleton Bay. You can select your sick pet under 'travel with. Once you're there, use the terminal in the lobby to sign up for an appointment, then wait. It'll be in the $200 range to get a sick pet treated. You can also elect to get a preventative shot, like a vaccine, which lasts two full weeks and prevents illness altogether.
Sure, let's do this right here in the living room, Lucy! A Sim can practice veterinary medicine on their pets at home.
Your Sim doesn't have to require the services of a Vet long-term. You can use the veterinary table and lab found under the Pets tab of build mode (under objects by function) to learn to practice veterinary medicine! Do not try this at home. Your Sim will unlock new treatments and treats that may help your animal in a number of ways, though they're unlikely to discover the mystery illness at an extremely low level. It's worth taking up for animal lovers - some of the items are very handy for pets at home though the equipment is rather expensive if you want the good stuff.
Pet lifespans are modified by the game's global settings. They will not age if you've turned household aging off in the game menu.
| Lifespan | Puppy/Kitten | Adult Dog/Cat | Elder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short | 1.5 Days | 12 Days | Varies |
| Normal | 3 Days | 24 Days | Varies |
| Long | 12 Days | 96 Days | Varies |
Cats will absolutely shred the furniture and jump on counters. Teach them not to do those things.
Pets will eat poop, drink from the toilet or other animals' puddles, and cats will scratch the couch. In all, there are about a dozen misbehaviors you'll need to work out which depend on if it's a cat or dog. When you see the animal do this, you can use 'lecture' under the friendly menu or 'scold' under mean, in order to discipline that behavior. It's up to you what you allow your pet to get away with. Give cats a scratching post to help protect the furniture - they need it. Over time, as you discipline the pet, they'll gradually learn what not to do. You'll see a notice they've stopped doing that behavior, similar to housebreaking a dog.
A dog drinking from a puddle. They also eat poop, which should be picked up and saved as great fertilizer.
This is a separate issue from training a dog. Dogs learn tricks, facilitated by the Pet Training skill, which is mostly focused on canines. It's a minor skill, in that it only features 5 levels. You'll learn a number of tricks and get better at teaching these tricks faster. It is possible to join a dog-training group (using Get Together's Clubs function) and gain bonus experience at teaching pets, while making friends with other Sims and helping your buddy to do the same.
Explore My Mods! Color Picker for Builders, Seasons Tuner, Dine Out Reloaded and a Gameplay Overhaul! Like other modders, I've been working to make The Sims 4 a better game. Check out my many mods here!
Neglected Animals are Taken by the Animal Welfare Worker
Pets can only die of old age. Fail to feed your pet, and a social worker will come. You'll see an exclamation point above the pet's portrait in the bottom left just before this is going to happen. It takes a very long time to get to this point, so most players should have no trouble unless they're deliberately neglectful or extremely distracted.
Brindleton Bay Pet Cemetery
When old pets die, they DO become ghosts just like Sims. There is also a Pet Cemetery in Brindleton Bay, although you cannot edit it. You may see ghost cats and dogs there if you visit at night. Find the cemetery by traveling to the island with the lighthouse and museum. It's in a rocky, forested area to the north.
Should you visit and build a relationship, which takes 1/4 the time it does to build a friendship with Sims, you can actually invite a ghost animal to join your household just like a stray.
Players who pursue the Veterinarian Skill will find that high levels offer them the ability to craft age up and age down potions. What is more, players can also resurrect a ghost pet using the veterinarian form of ambrosia, craftable at max level. This is the only way to bring your pet back from the dead.
How You Can Support The Site and Channel
If you like my sites and Youtube Channel, consider supporting me on Patreon to help me to continue. 
We now have a Youtube Channel with over 50 guides in video format to go along with the huge site I've already created. Check it out and consider subscribing if you like my style.
The Sims 4 Seasons expansion now has options! Want to disable weather or make plants in season year-round? You can do so with my new Seasons Tuner Mod
The past month, I've spent every day tinkering The Sims 4, making quality of life improvements, gameplay changes, and new difficulty settings for the game. If you'd like to learn more about my project, visit the post on Patreon where you can download it now.
Cottage Living Guide! Here is my guide to new features in the Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion
You can also find handy Cottage Living Cheats
I have much more to come, since you can actually write a few guides about this pack!
Blender has been incredibly useful in video production, so I made my own Physics and Simulation Improvement Addon that lumps a ton of unique tools into one compact interface.
Snowy Escape Cheats
Lifestyles in Snowy Escape
Climb Mt. Komorebi
Sentiments in Snowy Escape
Rock Climbing
Skiing Skill
Snowboarding Skill
I've released a guide to Sentiments in The Sims 4 & Snowy Escape.
There is a new platform tool in The Sims 4. There's also a new Sentiments system, but it'll take some time to create a guide to that. Players can also use rental lots in any world now by changing lot types of builds in manage worlds.
I've created a massive List of The Best Mods in The Sims 4 that should be very helpful to new players and those who have not yet explored modding and how much it can do for your gameplay.
New - Secrets I have a new guide to secrets in the game. If you prefer, you can also watch a video about secrets in Sims 4.
Nifty Knitting is now available. Learn all about the stuff pack on my guide page here.
NEW - Nifty Knitting CheatsNew features in the Sims 4 June 2020
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Guide
Eco Footprint: How it Works
Neighborhood Action Plans
How to Cheat in Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Civil Designer Career
Insect Farms & Bio Fuel
Fabrication Skill in Eco Lifestyle
Juice Fizzing NEW
Traits and Aspirations in DLC
Gameplay Ideas for Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Updated
Trait Cheats Updated
Traits List Updated
Aspirations List Updated
Readers who use adblock or those who'd like to thank me for my efforts can now pledge $1/$5 monthly via Patreon. This helps a lot with server costs and provides some stability for my business.
This is inspired by a new series in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to the full playlist!
I now have a guide page to Tiny Living Stuff where you can learn about Murphy Beds, the new death, as well as the lot bonuses you'll receive if you manage to keep the size of your lot down with this new pack's Tiny Home Lot Type.
New I now have a guide to Making Super Sims in The Sims 4. Look for a text version within the next 72h. It won't have THAT much more info but it will help out as a checklist.
This was inspired by a series, "Let's Play a Super Sim" in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to each part for people who are interested. You can also see the Let's Play as a Playlist on Youtube.
The Sims 4 Discover University has been announced for November 15 for PC/Mac and December 17 for Xbox and Playstation 4 consoles. Click to learn more about the pack, see my summary of the livestream or read our FAQs below.
Other Guides to Discover University:
New Lot Traits: Study Spot and University Student Hang Out
New: Discover University FAQ: Gameplay Features
New Video The Sims 4 Discover University Gameplay Tips Video
More videos coming soon!
Disclaimer This site is not endorsed by or affiliated with Electronic Arts, or its licensors. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The Sims and The Sims 4 Logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Game content and materials copyright Electronic Arts Inc. and its licensors. All Rights Reserved. All original Guides on this site © Carl's Guides
Comments (39)
Grateful for any advice!
If the room is too small then you'll have issues, there needs to be space for the dog and the owner to perform the animations related to bathing a pet.
Also if you're using mods, take them all out delete the localthumbcache.package file from your The Sims 4 folder and test in a new game.
Yeah, that's just you. I personally love the pets but if you have toddlers or are trying to play out a storyline they get almost no attention.
Thank you. ~Distressed Kay.
Can pets get shocked during thunderstorms?
No, the only thing that can happen is they may get cold and wet, in which case they will simply go inside when possible and warm up.
What does leaving a Sugar Skull offering do?
Doesn't do much tbh, it's more about completing the collection. You can buy skulls from the vendors in Selvadorada and then the wall case in buy mode to store them in. But making an offering to a skull will spawn in an NPC Day of the Dead Celebrators and you can ask for more skulls from them and so complete your collection.
Where is the best place to find stray dogs? I moved into the Sporting Space in the town square but there arent any there, and the Dog Hangout trait just makes your house a mess.
Also, can you bring the pets in the cemetery back to life?
Those dogs you see walking around the world of Brindelton Bay are the strays.
I usually turn on the "Dog Hangout" trait in build mode.
How do I bathe my (adult) cat?