The Sims 3 Pets official pack art with a horse, dog, cat, and Sims.

This article was translated from SimFans' GamesCom article. Rights for the original article belong to The Sims/EA and SimFans. If you use this English restoration, please link back; translating and preserving this material takes work.

A Sim stands in a room with several cats.

In Create-a-Sim you can create cats, dogs and horses much like you create Sims. There are so many details to adjust that we almost did not finish exploring them. Nearly everything can be edited.

A puppy looks at a larger dog lying on the ground.

First, some basic facts. In The Sims 3 you can normally have eight Sims in a household. With The Sims 3 Pets, the limit works differently: up to eight pets, but ten Sims and pets total. That means you can make a household with two Sims and eight pets, a household with more than four Sims and six pets, or even a household of eight pets similar to The Sims 2 Pets. The animals that count toward the household limit are horses, dogs and cats. Small animals such as birds, turtles, hedgehogs and lizards can be caught in the neighborhood and kept in terrariums, and do not count toward the ten-Sim-and-pet limit.

Pets can be male or female. The available age groups are adult and elder. Puppies and foals cannot be created directly in Create-a-Sim. The length of the life cycle can be adjusted freely in the options, just as it can for Sims.

A Sim plays guitar on a pier while three dogs listen.

Once the basics are set, the real customization starts. There are more than 100 breeds to choose from for dogs and cats. After choosing a breed, you choose the coat. You can apply a coat to the whole animal or to specific areas, such as the legs. The animal's whole body supports layers, so you can place markings on the back and combine them with smaller effects on top. You can choose tail types for horses, cats and dogs, and decide whether the tail hair should be braided or straight. For horses you can adjust body width, neck length and muzzle size. For cats you can set the nose color. There are almost no limits to the creativity.

Two cats play in a bathroom while a Sim relaxes in a bubble bath.

Pets have personality. Horses, cats and dogs can have up to three traits that unlock interactions with other animals and Sims. The table below preserves the original GamesCom trait list.

Trait Description
Adventurous Adventurous pets are extremely curious and want to explore everything.
Aggressive Aggressive pets have a poor attitude when interacting with other pets, often leading to fights.
Clueless Clueless pets often forget what they were doing, are easily distracted and learn skills more slowly.
Skittish Skittish pets are nervous and easily startled.
Lazy Lazy pets mostly want to lie down and relax, and they tire more quickly.
Piggy These pets make a mess with food, eat trash and may drink from the toilet.
Agile Agile horses are fast, strong and eager to jump. They are excellent for show jumping and need activity.
Friendly Friendly pets get along well with other animals and help maintain good relationships with Sims.
Genius Genius pets learn skills much faster and get along well with other genius pets or Sims.
Hyper Hyper pets are extremely active, rarely stay still and refill their energy quickly.
Hunter Pets with hunting instincts are excellent at tracking down and catching prey.
Noisy Noisy pets have powerful voices and get along especially well with musical Sims.
Nervous Nervous horses see danger everywhere and are easily frightened, but get along well with neurotic Sims.
Non-Destructive Non-destructive pets are clean, leave furniture alone and do not dig holes in the yard.
Quiet Quiet pets do not cause much fuss.
Gentle Gentle horses are calmer within the herd and cause fewer problems.
Fast Fast horses love to gallop, have a natural talent for racing and need plenty of exercise.
Likes Water Unlike other dogs, these dogs enjoy swimming and cannot get enough once they are in the water.
Shy Shy pets feel safest near their family and become nervous around new Sims and animals.
Hates Jumping Some horses prefer to keep their feet on the ground and perform worse in jumping competitions.
Proud Proud pets look for something better and find poor hygiene awful.
Stubborn Stubborn horses are difficult and do not get along as easily with Sims.
Brave Brave horses handle stressful situations better, such as fires or burglaries.
Loyal Loyal dogs like spending time with their owner and learn skills faster than other dogs.
Independent Independent dogs do not need other animals or Sims to have fun.
Untrained Untrained horses are not used to a saddle. Riding them takes a good relationship, time and training.
Playful Playful pets always want to have fun and are carefree.
Hydrophobic Hydrophobic dogs have a natural fear of water and are definitely unhappy in it.
Destructive Destructive pets cause chaos by destroying furniture or digging holes in the yard.
Neat Neat pets are naturally clean and want to be bathed whenever possible.

Some of the less useful traits can be trained away in the game by teaching your pet what is right and wrong.

A Sim and dog dig in the grass while a cat sits nearby.

Appaloosa Plains

Appaloosa Plains is the new neighborhood added with The Sims 3 Pets. It includes new designs for rabbit holes such as the school, city hall, cinema, grocery stores, pet stores and the new equestrian center. New pet parks and ranch-style homes with barns give the world a rustic feeling. Wild horses and deer roam through the open neighborhood, sometimes even onto your own lot. There is a lot to discover and many secrets to uncover.

Most images from the old GamesCom gallery tab were no longer recoverable through Wayback. This public restoration therefore uses official EA media provenance while preserving the source table and article text.