“The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs” was released Nov. 10, 2017, and is the fourth expansion pack added to the fourth of the EA game series, “The Sims.” Like the other expansion packs for this game, “Cats and Dogs” added a new world, new careers and new skills. “Cats and Dogs” also adds two new lifestates to the game: cats and dogs.

“Cats and Dogs” is not the first expansion pack to add animals into “The Sims.” The first, second and third game each have pet expansion packs – “The Sims Unleashed, The Sims 2: Pets” and “The Sims 3: Pets respectively. While The Sims Unleashed” and “The Sims 2: Pets” had cats and dogs not be controllable like the Sims themselves, “The Sims 3: Pets” allowed players to actually control the dogs and cats, and it had horses.

In comparison to the ones before it, “Cats and Dogs” is more similar to “The Sims Unleashed” and “The Sims 2: Pets” than it is to “The Sims 3: Pets.” The cats and dogs are not controllable, and they show their needs via actions and thought-bubbles. This was done to make the animals more realistic, as it was argued that having the player controlling them made the pets less realistic.

“Cats and Dogs” also built upon the three previous games in the series by adding new content to the already established concepts of animals with traits. The pets can now be dressed up, both in collars and in actual pieces of clothing like sweatshirts. There are also more breeds, over 170, so players can customize their pets.  

One of the main features the game promoted was the “Create a Pet.” This allowed players to pick premade breeds for either animal. If a player wanted a mixed breed then one could be made with the breed mixer. Create a Pet also allowed players to customize aspects of the animals: like their eye color, coat, ears and tail. If the player wanted to have a specific coat for their pet that wasn’t already there, they could make one by literally painting the dog with different colors and patterns. This allows exact replicas of a pet to be made, which many players have done.

Another big feature is the new vet career. This career allows a Sim to own and work their own vet clinic, treating both cats and dogs for various illnesses. This careers acts very much like the doctor careers from the first expansion pack for “The Sims 4, Get to Work” as well as the restaurant business that was introduced in that pack. “Cats and Dogs” expands on both of those concepts by making it easier to figure out what is wrong with the pet and by allowing the Sim to work at the business – two complaints from “Get to Work” about the doctor and restaurant business.

“The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs” is a strong fourth expansion pack to “The Sims 4” game and adds adorable pets, a new world and a new job. It currently retails for $39.99.