The Sims 4: Pet Traits (Cats and Dogs)

When pets were added in The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs, we were given the opportunity to really give our cats and dogs their own personality and pet traits that will change the way they act and the interactions we can have with them.

Each pet can have three different traits that you get to choose if you’re making them in CAS, or they can be randomized, just like sim traits. If you decide to adopt a stray pet or a adopt a pet from services, you don’t get to choose your pet’s traits so they may be more difficult to take care of.

These pet traits can make your pet have different autonomous interactions and do different things, they also make them react differently to your sim’s interactions with them! Certain traits conflict with each other, for example, a dog can’t be both independent and loyal.

Dog Traits

Active

“These dogs are very energetic. They really like running and enjoy frequent walks.”

This trait conflicts with couch potato which means you can’t have both traits. These dogs will need a walk way more often, and do better when they have access to the outdoors for them to run around. They don’t do as well in apartments.

Adventurous

“These dogs will sometimes leave the house to go on solo adventures, but are also happy to go on an adventure with their owner.”

These dogs love to spend their time outside and explore the world. They are a bit more likely to run away if they aren’t being taken are of enough, because they are adventurous and want to see the world.

Aggressive

“These dogs will be more hostile when greeting others and might attack others unless properly trained.”

This pet trait conflicts with the friendly trait, and these dogs are anything but friendly. You need to train out some of the aggression if you want your dog to be a little bit more chill, which can be done by lecturing them about their negative behaviours.

Couch Potato

“These dogs are low-energy creatures that like to relax and unwind with their owners, rather than run around”

These dogs prefer to spend time sleeping, or laying on the couch. Their favourite thing is when their owner clicks on them and uses the relax and unwind interaction so they can spend some time on the couch. This trait conflicts with the active trait.

Friendly

“These pets tend to be friendly to other sims, and will happily greet other sims around them”

This pet trait conflicts with the aggressive pet trait, and these pets are my favourite. They are more willing to say hello to strangers, and have adorable interactions that they’ll do around children.

Glutton

“These pets will eat significantly more often, and much more messily!”

These pets love to eat and will eat literally all the time, so you’ll need to spend more money to make sure they’re happy. A glutton pet loves when you feed them off your plate, and you can even give them a really big treat to keep them happy.

Hairy

“These dogs will leave hair piles laying around. Brush their fur to keep things tidy!”

Hairy dogs are very messy, and if you don’t be proactive with your pet and brush them at least once a day, you’ll end up with piles of fur around the house. This can be nice if you have the NanoCan Touchless Trash Can, because you can earn money from your pet’s hair, or if you have the robot vacuum to deal with the mess.

Hunter

“These dogs are natural hunters. Send them off into the world and they’ll hunt and dig for things.”

A dog who has the hunter trait is great for anyone who is trying to finish the collector aspiration because they will bring back small boxes filled with presents for your sims and are often more rare.

Independent

“These dogs are less likely to need constant affection and can even walk themselves.”

This pet trait conflicts with the loyal trait. These pets can essentially take care of themselves, they will go outside and walk themselves, and will spend very little time around their owners.

Jumpy

“These dogs are easily frightened, and like to hide more often. They will often shy away from things like fights.”

These dogs are going to get scared from things like fireworks, or thunderstorms if you have seasons installed. They may even hide under the bed!

Loyal

“These dogs want to be closer with their owners and love to be pet. They like to follow their owners around.”

A dog with the loyal pet trait is less likely to run away because they want to be by their owners side as often as possible. They will get sad if they don’t spend enough time around their owners!

Playful

“These pets love toys and want to play all the time, even when they’re not excited.”

These dogs really want to be played with all the time. They love toys, and will bring a ball over to be played with way more often than other dogs.

Sleuth

“These dogs are naturally more curious and like to investigate different objects around the house.”

A sleuth pet will love looking around the house, and especially being a sleuth outside. They spend more time questioning things and they really want to know how things work.

Smart

“These bright dogs are easier to train and pick up tricks quickly. They might even understand simlish!”

Any dog that has the smart lot trait is the easiest to train and you can get them to do all sorts of tricks and run through obstacle courses.

Stubborn

“These dogs don’t like being told what to do. Scolding them doesn’t do much to change their misbehaviours, but you can try begging them to stop.”

Dogs with the stubborn pet trait will rarely listen when you tell them what to do, they are more resistant to pet training and will even be more annoying when you take them on walks.

Troublemaker

“These dogs are always up to no good. They will often misbehave and can even be encouraged to do so.”

These dogs are more likely to knock over a garbage can and make messes in puddles. They absolutely love doing the opposite of what your sim tells them to do.

Vocal

“These dogs like to howl occasionally, and can even sing on command.”

These dogs are constantly barking and making a ton of noise, which can keep your sims up in the middle of the night if you don’t discourage these behaviours.

Cat Traits

Affectionate

“These cats really love their owners. They’ll try to stick close to them whenever possible.”

These cats are going to spend so much time next to your sim, and love when they give them love. You can even earn satisfaction points after doing a lot of loving interactions with your cat, using the feel the love +250 interaction.

Aloof

“These cats don’t really need owners, they’re just here for the free food.”

Cats that have this pet trait are essentially going to ignore your sim and act like they don’t even exist. This trait conflicts with the affectionate trait.

Clever

“These cats are fast learners, and some say that they can even understand simlish.”

These cats are much easier to train, and can learn different skills quicker. A great pet trait to have!

Curious

“These cats are more curious about their surroundings. They like to search different objects around the house.”

A curious cat is going to spend more time investigating the things around them, and will do this for most of their day. It’s quite cute!

Fluffy

“These cats are more fluffy than normal. They’ll hack up hairballs more often.”

Fluffy cats are the messiest of the bunch because they are always leaving behind hairballs. This is great if you have the NanoCan Touchless Trash Can because you can earn money from the hair!

Free Spirit

“These cats enjoy wondering around the world, almost as if they were wild animals. But don’t worry, they’ll always come home for the food.”

Free spirit cats won’t be seen around much, they’ll be off for hours or even days at a time. They usually come home and get some food and say hello, but don’t expect them to be a house cat.