Pet trait (The Sims 4)

Pet Trait

A cat demonstrating the "Territorial" trait.

Pet trait is a personality system for cats and dogs in The Sims 4: Cats & Dogs and horses in The Sims 4: Horse Ranch. They are unique to them and are not available to Sims. On the other hand, traits for Sims are not available to pets either. Pet traits affect how cats, dogs and horses perform, hunt and are interested towards Sims.

There is a total of 45 pet traits, 17 for cats, 17 for dogs and 11 for horses. Some traits have unique attributes for one of the two species, but most traits are identical to one another. For example, mischievous is a trait for cats and troublemaker is a trait for dogs, and both of them have the same general idea of the pet misbehaving. Pets created in Create a Pet can have up to three traits. Sims can get to know a pet before adopting it using the interaction "Get to know", learning one trait each time.

List of pet traits[]

Cat traits[]

Trait	Description	Equivalent dog trait	Conflict trait
Affectionate	These cats really love their owners. They’ll try to stick close to them whenever possible.	Loyal	Aloof
Aloof	These cats don’t really need owners, they’re just here for the free food.	Independent	Affectionate
Clever	These cats are fast learners, and some say that they can even understand Simlish when spoken to!	Smart
Curious	These cats are more curious about their surroundings. They like to search different objects around the house.	Sleuth
Fluffy	These cats are more fluffy than normal! They’ll hack up hairballs more often.	Hairy
Free spirit	These cats enjoy wandering around the world, almost as if they were wild animals! But don’t worry, they’ll always come home for the food.	Adventurous
Friendly	These pets tend to be friendly towards Sims, and will happily greet other Sims around them.	Friendly	Territorial
Frisky	These cats are more active than other cats. They really like to pounce and run around.	Active	Lazy
Glutton	These pets will eat significantly more often, and much more messily.	Glutton
Lazy	These cats really enjoy their catnaps. They are less likely to jump from place to place since it takes too much effort.	Couch Potato	Frisky
Mischievous	These cats are always up to no good! They will often misbehave and can even be encouraged to do so.	Troublemaker
Playful	These pets love toys and want to play all the time, even when they’re not excited.	Playful
Prowler	These cats enjoy prowling around the neighborhood. Send them out and they might come back with something they’ve found.	Hunter
Skittish	These cats are scared of everything. Okay well, almost everything. They also like to hide a lot.	Jumpy
Spoiled	These cats are spoiled creatures. Scolding them hardly ever changes their behavior.	Stubborn
Talkative	These cats love to yowl along with other Sims. They’ll even try to sing upon request.	Vocal
Territorial	These cats are fairly protective of their territory. They will be aggressive to anyone new they meet.	Aggressive	Friendly

Dog traits[]

Trait	Description	Equivalent cat trait	Conflict trait
Active	These dogs are very energetic. They really like running and enjoy frequent walks.	Frisky	Couch Potato
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.	Free Spirit
Aggressive	These dogs will be more hostile when greeting others and might attack others unless properly trained.	Territorial	Friendly
Couch potato	These dogs are low-energy creatures that like to relax and unwind with their owners rather than run around.	Lazy	Active
Friendly	These pets tend to be Friendly to other Sims, and will happily greet other Sims around them.	Friendly	Aggressive
Glutton	These pets will eat significantly more often, and much more messily!	Glutton
Hairy	These dogs will leave hair piles laying around. Brush their fur to keep things tidy!	Fluffy
Hunter	These dogs are natural hunters. Send them off into the world and they’ll hunt and dig for things.	Prowler
Independent	These dogs are less likely to need constant affection and can even walk themselves.	Aloof	Loyal
Jumpy	These dogs are easily frightened, and like to hide more often. They will often shy away from things like fights.	Skittish
Loyal	These dogs want to be closer with their owners and love to be pet. They like to follow their owners around.	Affectionate	Independent
Playful	These pets love toys and want to play all the time, even when they’re not excited.	Playful
Sleuth	These dogs are naturally more curious and like to investigate different objects around the house.	Curious
Smart	These bright dogs are easier to train and pick up tricks quickly. They might even understand Simlish!	Clever
Stubborn	These dogs don’t like being told what to do. Scolding them doesn’t do much to change their misbehaviors, but you can try begging them to stop.	Spoiled
Troublemaker	These dogs are always up to nothing good. They will often misbehave and can even be encouraged to do so.	Mischievous
Vocal	These dogs like to howl occasionally, and can even sing on command.	Talkative

Horse traits[]

Trait	Description	Conflict trait
Aggressive	These horses are cranky! They act meaner towards other Sims and are more difficult to train.	Friendly
Brave	These Horses tend to be stout of heart, unphazed by bad weather or danger. They also have a higher chance of succeeding when using Horse Jumps and Barrels.	Fearful
Defiant	These Horses tend to be more ornery when it comes to training and will develop skills more slowly. They also have a higher likelihood of failing Horse Jumps and Barrels.
Energetic	These Horses are full of energy! They gain athletic skills faster but are slower to gain the Temperament Skill.	Mellow
Fearful	These Horses are scared of everything and will often become spooked. Due to their fearful nature, it will take them longer to gain Temperament Skill.	Brave
Free spirit	These Horses thrive in the open outdoors and will become sad if left inside for too long.
Friendly	These Horses love all things social! They are more likely to have positive social interactions.	Aggressive
Independent	These Horses are content on their own and don't need as much attention.	Needy
Intelligent	These Horses are all-around rapid learners, giving them an increased gain of all skills. As an added bonus, they're also brilliant conversationalists!
Mellow	These Horses prefer relaxing over everything else! Because of their laid-back nature, they are quick to gain the Temperament skill* and slow to gain athletic skills.*	Energetic
Needy	These Horses need social interaction often. They will frequently approach Sims in the hopes of getting their attention.	Independent

Horses can also get breedable traits: Playful, Hardy, or Curious. The breedable trait they get is additional [4th] trait.

Reward Traits[]

Icon	Trait	Description
	Champion	A champion through and through! This Horse’s Foals will gain skills and that fighting spirit faster and have higher value.
	Curious	These Horses are naturally more curious and enjoy exploring objects and using Horse Jumps and Barrels
	Playful	These Horses love playing with toys and other Sims!

Inherited Traits[]

Icon	Trait	Description
	Champion Genes	Horses with Champion Genes have winner’s blood coursing through their veins! As a result, these Horses will gain skills faster and hold a higher Simoleon value than the average horse.
	Well-Mannered Foal	[Horse Name] got a good head start on Temperament skill as a foal, he/she is primed to learn more skills.