Should You Buy The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs? A Complete Guide

Whether The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs is worth purchasing depends on your playstyle. This expansion focuses entirely on pet ownership and veterinary gameplay.

Pros

• Deep Pet Simulation: Create unique cats and dogs with detailed coat patterns, traits, and behaviors. Pets have needs, personalities, and can learn tricks
• Veterinarian Career: Run your own clinic—diagnose illnesses, perform surgeries, and manage staff. A rewarding, hands-on active career
• New World – Brindleton Bay: A coastal town with walking trails, parks, and pet-friendly venues
• Expanded Gameplay: Train pets for competitions, go on walks, breed animals, and enjoy new social interactions
• Visual Improvements: Pets feature high-quality animations and fur rendering

Cons

• Price: Expansion packs are premium-priced ($39.99 USD at launch), especially alongside other packs
• Requires Base Game: You must own The Sims 4 to play
• Bugs & Performance: Like all Sims titles, occasional glitches (pathing issues, stuck pets) occur
• Limited to Cats & Dogs: No birds, reptiles, small mammals, or farm animals (those came in later packs)

Verdict

Buy if: You love pets, enjoy active careers, and want a cozy, content-rich expansion.
Skip if: You're on a tight budget, prefer gameplay systems over decorative content, or want exotic pets.

Alternatives

• The Sims 4: Island Living – Includes parrots and geckos
• Custom Content (CC) – Community creators offer free realistic animals and pet accessories