Can I keep dogs and cats from showing up?

[Janna]

I find the strays to be a complete pain.

I put up a fence and locked it to pets, that keeps them off the porch and out of the yard, but they sit at the gate and are, to me, a pest.
Now with Boney she is going out and petting them, giving them treats and training them.  She has somehow been able, in two different games, to get them to come inside the fence even though it is locked on pets where they stay on the porch and my sims go out and pet them and won't shoo them away. 
I tell them to ask the animal to leave and all they do is pet it and give it a treat.

Is there a way to keep the dogs and cats from showing up in the game?  There is an option that I saw in Edit Town I have seen that has pets, horses and such with a checkmark in a box; but I am leary of using it. I don't remember what happened, but it was bad enough that a 'do not do again' is in my head.   

[folcon]

There should be a spot in the game options where you can uncheck strays, as well as each of the supernatural sims, papparazi, and I think the celeberty system.  If you uncheck strays you shouldn't get random dogs and cats showing up.

[Louise56]

I'm not sure of it, but I think the pets one keep townies from getting pets. I can be wrong.
I have it unchecked, nothing bad will happen if you uncheck it Janna.
You can also buy the gnomes that keep strays away.

[Janna]

Thanks, I will check it out.  I tried the gnomes once, but it seemed to attact the strays.  But I also had a glitch in it that none of the strays coud sleep, that the dogs were chasing the cats and other problems, so that could be why it didn't keep them away, but seemed to attract them.

I'll try it again and see what happens.   

[Schipperke]

Unfortunately, the Pets check box doesn't prevent strays from turning up.  I wish it did, as I find it annoying and ridiculous to see deer and wild horses running down the town streets.  The gnomes will keep them off your lot, but you need to be sure to set them to repel strays - just click on the gnome and you'll see the option to set it.  And if you want to keep cats, dogs and other strays off your lot, you'll have to buy all 3 gnomes.

[Louise56]

It is kind of strange to see a dear or horse in front of the theater lol.

[Pam]

There's a gnome you can buy that will discourage strays.  I believe there's one for dogs, one for cats, and one for horses.

[Janna]

Thanks,

I didn't know that I could set it to repel or attract, so that could be why I had the problem the last time, it was probably set to attract, and boy, did it attract!

I don't mind the deer, horses and others, but with Boney wanting to bring the dogs (at least so far it is only dogs!) into the yard and teach them tricks, I'm back to thinking it might be worth it to take the chance and remove Pets.  I like some aspects of it, but the number of strays, way, way too much. 

[Pam]

Thanks,

I didn't know that I could set it to repel or attract, so that could be why I had the problem the last time, it was probably set to attract, and boy, did it attract!

I don't mind the deer, horses and others, but with Boney wanting to bring the dogs (at least so far it is only dogs!) into the yard and teach them tricks, I'm back to thinking it might be worth it to take the chance and remove Pets.  I like some aspects of it, but the number of strays, way, way too much.

I take it that Boney is one of your Sims?  I've never seen a Sim be able to teach tricks to a stray.  Mine can't even get them to stay for more than three or four interactions and tricks is never one that shows up.

[Korva]

I think Boney is Bonehilda, who loves to teach dog tricks.

Janna, if you're not averse to using mods, you can control the number of strays, wild horses, deer and racoons with Twallan's Register mod.

[Janna]

Yes, Boney is Bonehilda, and she has been having fun I guess teaching them tricks.

I tried the gnomes set to repel strays and it seems to be working. 

I personally don't have a problem with mods, but I don't think my computer is good enough, power wise, to handle them.  I would love to get the story Pregression mod, but not possible.

Deer are kinda funny to watch, especially right now; I saw one bouncing down the road (in the game) and later heard the sound of a gunshot (here in my home area, not in the game) and had to smile.   The deer running around without a care in the game and here they are running to escape the hunters. 

[Janna]

I'm reviving this as I want to confirm what I think is true; that there hasn't been any changes from the patches.

I liked the clothes, furniture, some of the houses from Pets, just not the town. 

To get them in my games I have to install Pets, that is a given.

But, I don't care for the critters, mainly the dogs and cats (weird, as I am an animal lover).  They drive me nuts!  I can use the gnomes to keep out the stray dogs and cats, even the wildlife (which for some reason doesn't bother me, I don't mind horses and deer running around).  I would rather not have to deal with the deer, racoons and others, but I can live with them; they don't show up that often.

What I want to make sure, from what I have read, is that even if I click in the options to not have the dogs, cats, and other critters, that doesn't keep out strays.  Things haven't changed in that aspect.

I can also leave in the option for the other critters, birds, snakes, insects, horses and others, just keep the dogs and cats out, but it still leaves in the strays.  Which is frustrating as I don't mind them, just the irritating strays running all over the place. 

I can also click to not have the dogs, horses, deer and others but leave in the cats to have for the witches for SN. 

*Sigh* I really, really, really would like to get completely rid of strays. 

[Ricalynn]

The three gnomes if you have them on your lot will deter strays.  I always have a fence around my whole yard with the three gnomes set to deter outside the gate.   The strays will walk up to the gnome, do an action (hiss, growl, bark, pee on it) and then run away.

The options under Story Progression are only supposed to be for Townies adopting cats/dogs/horses.  You'll still get wildlife and unicorns.  Just all those items won't stay on your lot.  You don't have to keep cats checked to be able to get cats for your witches.   You can have them all unchecked and still adopt a cat from the shelter.