The best Sims 4 pet mods make cats and dogs in The Sims 4 easier to live with and give them more to do, led by LittleMsSam’s My Pets, Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs and Working Pet Water Bowls. The 20 below cover walks, food and everyday care, pet careers and aspirations, and the strays and pet behavior around town.
Cats and dogs only exist in the game with the Cats and Dogs expansion, so every entry says whether it needs that pack: most do, My Pets and Selectable Pets Always also work with Horse Ranch’s horses, and the two teen careers need no pack at all. Each entry also notes where its creator stands on EA’s latest patch and links only to the creator’s own page. Only My Pets is also on our list of the 100 best Sims 4 mods, so the two lists barely overlap.
Walks, Food and Everyday Care
Mods that take the busywork out of owning cats and dogs, or add the care EA left out.
1. My Pets
The eight-Sim household limit fills up fast once pets arrive. My Pets (1.4 million downloads) lets you move cats, dogs or horses into a separate household, such as a “Dogsitter” household, and still claim them as yours from the Household menu on the phone. Claimed pets get interactions to call them over, plan their outfits and check their needs (or, for horses, their skills), sick pets can be signed in at the vet (you pay up front and cannot pick the treatment), and My Pets horses can enter competitions. Pets living in the other household do not give birth while they are away, and LittleMsSam asks you to cancel every My Pets relationship before you uninstall it. Our guide to moving a Sim out of your household covers the EA way of making room. Its newest file is from August 4, 2026, and LittleMsSam’s site says all of her mods have been checked with the October 27 patch (1.129.39). Creator: LittleMsSam. Needs: XML Injector, plus Cats and Dogs or Horse Ranch. Download: My Pets on CurseForge.
2. Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs
Walking the dog is a chore children cannot do in Cats and Dogs. LittleMsSam’s Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs (1.4 million downloads) turns on all four of the pack’s Go for a Walk options for children, and the walks build up Responsibility for children and teens. LittleMsSam is upfront about the rough edges: the walk animation was not made for children, so they stretch at the start and end of each walk, and dogs sometimes run oddly. An optional add-on keeps dogs in their everyday outfit unless it is freezing or cold outside. Its newest file is from January 1, 2026, and her site says all of her mods have been checked with the October 27 patch. Creator: LittleMsSam. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs on CurseForge.
3. Go for a walk with more Pets
In Cats and Dogs, a Sim walks one dog at a time. Go for a walk with more Pets (948,000 downloads) adds walks of 30, 60 or 120 minutes under the Pet Care menu that send the Sim off lot with as many dogs, cats and other Sims as you pick, and infants carried by a Sim come along too. LittleMsSam suggests gathering everyone near the lot’s spawn point before you start, and the walks also work with her separate Go for a Walk with Dogs will fill up Needs mod. The newest file (October 17, 2026) is labeled for the September 22 patch (1.128.90), and her site says all of her mods have been checked with the October 27 patch. Creator: LittleMsSam. Needs: XML Injector and Cats and Dogs. Download: Go for a walk with more Pets on CurseForge.
4. Working Pet Water Bowls
Working Pet Water Bowls (925,000 downloads) gives pets something better to drink from than puddles and toilets. It adds two water bowls, plus an optional third for My First Pet Stuff owners, that Sims fill with a pitcher if you own Laundry Day Stuff and have a washer or laundry object on the lot, or with a watering can if you do not. Dogs drink with their puddle animation, while cats, kittens and puppies use the eating animation so they do not clip into the bowl. Pets drink on their own after walks, jogs and meals, which affects their bladder, hunger a little and body temperature, and a 12-hour cooldown afterward keeps them away from puddles and toilet water. The household, maids, nannies and butlers refill empty bowls, and the bowls never spoil. The newest file (May 8, 2026) is tagged for game version 1.123.85, and her site says all of her mods have been checked with the October 27 patch. Creator: LittleMsSam. Needs: XML Injector and Cats and Dogs (Laundry Day Stuff and My First Pet Stuff are optional). Download: Working Pet Water Bowls on CurseForge.
5. Better Pet Nutrition
Better Pet Nutrition (180,000 downloads) turns pet food into something Sims cook. It adds raw and cooked homemade meals, treats Sims bake and then hand out as rewards, buyable treats, canned food to cook with, and a Royal Line of meals that leaves pets happier, more bonded and with a wellness boost after eating. It is modular: only the core and strings files are required, so you can leave out any part you do not want. Version 4.1.0 (August 31, 2026) is tagged up to game version 1.127.41, and as of November 2, 2026, LuSimLaStars has posted no status for the September 22 or October 27 patches. Creator: LuSimLaStars. Needs: Cats and Dogs and XML Injector. Download: Better Pet Nutrition on CurseForge.
6. Selectable Pets Always
Pets in your household cannot normally be clicked and controlled like Sims. Selectable Pets Always (155,000 downloads) makes them selectable every time the game loads or you change lots, by switching on EA’s own pets.toggle_selectable_pets debug cheat for you. The main point, in charitycodes’ words, is seeing a pet’s needs such as hunger, bladder and energy, and it also helps you move a pet out of a spot where it is stuck. It works for cats, dogs and horses in your household, but not Cottage Living’s cows, llamas or chickens, which are not household members. The newest file dates from August 29, 2023, charitycodes has listed it for game version 1.126.78, and as of November 2, 2026, the page says nothing about later patches. Creator: charitycodes. Needs: Cats and Dogs or Horse Ranch. Download: Selectable Pets Always on CurseForge.
7. Natural Food for Pets
Somik and Severinka are the pair behind the Cookbook on our big list, and Natural Food for Pets (95,000 downloads) brings their cooking to pet bowls. It adds six fresh recipes: stewed chicken and vegetables; meat and vegetables; liver, vegetables and raw egg; meat and chicken feet; fish, meat and egg; and a minced meat and egg bowl for kittens and puppies. They need Cooking skill 2, and the mod needs the latest version of that Cookbook. The newest file (February 26, 2026) is tagged up to game version 1.121.372, and as of November 2, 2026, its page has no status for any later patch. Creator: Somik_Severinka. Needs: Cats and Dogs and the Cookbook. Download: Natural Food for Pets on CurseForge.
Pet Careers and Aspirations
Jobs and life goals built around animals, all but two of them needing Cats and Dogs.
8. Animal Shelter Career
KiaraSims4Mods makes dozens of careers, and Animal Shelter (386,000 downloads) is the most downloaded of Kiara’s pet careers. Sims climb five levels from Intern to Manager on the Pet Training skill, with tasks such as buying pet toys, discussing pet adoption, feeding cats and dogs, cleaning litter boxes, picking up after the animals and brushing them, plus work-from-home tasks like bathing a cat or dog and becoming companions with two animals. A §500 bonus comes with the promotion to Manager, and the shelter fills with at least four cats and dogs from 7 a.m. every day. It needs Kiara’s separate Animal Shelter Lot Trait for the workplace. Kiara’s mod status sheet, which lists the October 27 patch (1.129.39) as the latest, marks it compatible. Creator: KiaraSims4Mods. Needs: Cats and Dogs, the Animal Shelter Lot Trait and XML Injector. Download: Animal Shelter Career on CurseForge.
9. Veterinarian Career
Cats and Dogs lets Sims run their own vet clinic, but not take a job at one. Kiara’s Veterinarian Career (174,000 downloads) adds a five-level career from Veterinary Assistant to Veterinary Practice Manager, built on the Veterinarian skill, with work-from-home tasks such as meeting a cat or dog and doing lab work. The promotion to Veterinary Technician unlocks Dr. Magi-Heal’s Medicine Craft-o-matic. Kiara’s status sheet marks it compatible with the October 27 patch. Creator: KiaraSims4Mods. Needs: Cats and Dogs, Get to Work and XML Injector. Download: Veterinarian Career on CurseForge.
10. Pet Trainer Career
Pet Trainer (141,000 downloads) is one of Kiara’s single-level careers, so there are no promotions to chase, just a steady job built on the Pet Training skill. Daily tasks include lecturing pets and practicing tricks, and the work-from-home tasks are showing off pet tricks, going for a walk with a pet and becoming companions with one. Kiara’s status sheet marks it compatible with the October 27 patch. Creator: KiaraSims4Mods. Needs: Cats and Dogs and XML Injector. Download: Pet Trainer Career on CurseForge.
11. Ultimate Teen Careers: Pet Store Associate
This teen career (110,000 downloads) was first made by Asiashamecca, and lilyvalleycc rebuilt it after the original stopped working. Teens climb from Associate Trainee at §11 an hour to Senior Pet Store Associate at §21 an hour, building Handiness, Charisma and Logic while they clean tanks, care for the animals and serve customers. The October 2026 rebuild in Sims 4 Studio dropped the old script file and now needs XML Injector. Its file is listed for the base game and the page names no pack, so it is one of the few pet mods that runs without Cats and Dogs. The newest file (November 1, 2026) is labeled for the October 27 patch (1.129.39). Our guide to the degree each career needs covers the adult careers EA ships. Creator: lilyvalleycc. Needs: XML Injector. Download: Pet Store Associate on CurseForge.
12. Pet Groomer Career
Kiara’s Pet Groomer Career (105,000 downloads) is for Sims who want to keep pets clean. It runs seven levels, from Pet Care Assistant through Pet Walker, Pet Bather, Pet Dryer and Pet Clipper to Professional Pet Groomer, on the Charisma skill, with tasks to bathe and walk pets and work-from-home tasks to bathe and brush them. The top of the career pays a §2,500 reward and the Booping Shnoops Antique. Kiara’s status sheet marks it compatible with the October 27 patch. Creator: KiaraSims4Mods. Needs: Cats and Dogs and XML Injector. Download: Pet Groomer Career on CurseForge.
13. Certified Breeder
ilkavelle’s Certified Breeder (99,500 downloads) is an aspiration for Sims who want to run a top kennel club. Its four milestones run from Happy Pet Owner to Certified Breeder, with goals such as spending §500 on pet supplies, encouraging pets to mate, training pets for 10 hours, training out misbehaviors, reaching level 3 in the Veterinarian skill and selling pets 15 times. The reward trait, Super Breeder, earns more from selling litters and unlocks a computer interaction to sell a pet at a higher price. The newest file (February 28, 2026) is tagged for game version 1.126.78, and ilkavelle’s October 27 patch post says all of her mods are compatible with that patch. Creator: ilkavelle. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Certified Breeder on CurseForge.
14. Ultimate Teen Careers: Dog Walker
The second of lilyvalleycc’s rebuilt teen careers (66,500 downloads) starts at Paws Around the Park, where trainees learn to handle several dogs and clean up after them before they walk any alone. Teens move up from Trainee at §5 an hour to Dog Walker at §11, then go into business for themselves as an Entrepreneur Dog Walker at §26 an hour, building Fitness, Charisma and Logic along the way. The page recommends the pets expansion but does not require it. Like the Pet Store Associate career, it was rebuilt in October 2026, needs XML Injector, and its newest file (November 1, 2026) is labeled for the October 27 patch. Creator: lilyvalleycc. Needs: XML Injector (Cats and Dogs recommended, not required). Download: Dog Walker on CurseForge.
15. Applied Animal Behaviorist
ilkavelle made Applied Animal Behaviorist (64,000 downloads) because EA’s pet aspiration does not go deep on pet training. Its four milestones, Dog Walker, Dog Show Handler, Professional Pet Trainer and Applied Animal Behaviorist, ask Sims to walk dogs, train three different dogs, show off tricks to 10 Sims, win an obstacle course medal, reach level 5 in Pet Training and Veterinarian, train out five misbehaviors and log 50 hours of training. The reward trait adds a Comforting Talk interaction that fills all of a pet’s needs, once every 12 hours. It overrides no game files, so it should not clash with other mods. The newest file (February 28, 2026) is tagged for game version 1.126.78, and ilkavelle’s October 27 post says all of her mods are compatible. Creator: ilkavelle. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Applied Animal Behaviorist on CurseForge.
Strays, Traits and Pet Behavior
Changes to how pets act around town, with each other and in the family.
16. Pets Everywhere
In Cats and Dogs, stray animals and dog walkers mostly stay in Brindleton Bay. Kuttoe’s Pets Everywhere (88,600 downloads) adds dog walkers, strays or both to the other worlds without removing any of their existing walkbys or NPCs, and makes dog walkers less likely to get stuck at spawn points. The newest file (July 22, 2025) is tagged for game version 1.116.232, and as of November 2, 2026, Kuttoe has posted no status for any later patch. Creator: Kuttoe. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Pets Everywhere on CurseForge.
17. Better Pet Hangouts (plus Stray Adoption)
flauschtrud’s mod (32,000 downloads) comes in three parts you can use separately. Better Pet Hangouts makes cats and dogs on Cat Hangout and Dog Hangout lots use the food bowls and litter boxes and behave according to their traits instead of only begging for food, so expect the odd mess on the porch or a cat fight. No More Fake Strays stops pets that still belong to a family without a home, such as one that was just evicted, from showing up as strays. Suggest Adopting a Stray lets your Sim talk another Sim into adopting a stray cat or dog your Sim has met and that is nearby, and Cat Lover and Dog Lover Sims react more strongly but are more likely to say yes. Our guide to adopting a pet covers the EA way. The newest file dates from August 20, 2025, and flauschtrud has listed it for game version 1.129.39, the October 27 patch. Creator: flauschtrud. Needs: Its page names no pack, but the hangout lots and strays it changes come from Cats and Dogs. Download: Better Pet Hangouts on CurseForge.
18. Animal Charmer Trait and 2 Pets Traits
digitprojectart’s mod (24,800 downloads) adds one trait for Sims and one each for cats and dogs. Animal Charmer Sims, child to adult, need to bond with cats and dogs, are inspired by hugging and kissing them, learn Pet Training and Fitness faster, can lift a pet’s behavior and spread playful moods nearby, and never die or age past adult. The cat and dog traits slow the pet’s need decay, keep it happy nearly all the time with no anxiety or anger (and, for dogs, no sadness), and help it heal faster from pet sickness; you add them with the cheat menu on the pet, since they do not appear in Create a Pet. Version 1.3 (August 25, 2025) is tagged for game version 1.117.227, and the creator says no future updates are planned. Creator: digitprojectart. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Animal Charmer Trait on CurseForge.
19. Rebalanced Animal Pregnancy
Rebalanced Animal Pregnancy (14,800 downloads) changes how long pets stay pregnant: cats and dogs to about 22 percent of a human pregnancy, and horses to about 120 percent. chiefunicorn says it works alongside mods that change human pregnancy length, such as MC Command Center and the Relationship and Pregnancy Overhaul on our big list. It replaces EA’s three pet pregnancy tunings, so it will clash with any other mod that edits them. Version 1.0.2 (October 5, 2025) is tagged up to game version 1.118.242, and as of November 2, 2026, the page has no status for any later patch. Creator: chiefunicorn. Needs: Cats and Dogs for cats and dogs, Horse Ranch for horses. Download: Rebalanced Animal Pregnancy on CurseForge.
20. Pet to Pet: Cat and Dog Sanity
Pets in Cats and Dogs mostly interact only with pets in their own household. Pet to Pet (13,900 downloads), one module of sims4me’s Cat and Dog Sanity set, lets them interact on their own with pets from other households, and more often with the pets they live with. It replaces EA’s pet-to-pet greeting and social tunings, so it clashes with other mods that edit those. Its newest file is tagged up to game version 1.126.58, and as of November 2, 2026, sims4me has posted no status for any later patch. Creator: sims4me. Needs: Cats and Dogs. Download: Pet to Pet on CurseForge.
Setting Up Pet Mods
Check the Needs line first. Eighteen of these need Cats and Dogs, because the game’s cats and dogs come from that pack, though My Pets, Selectable Pets Always and Rebalanced Animal Pregnancy can work with Horse Ranch’s horses instead; only the two teen careers need no pet pack at all. If you are deciding which packs to buy, our ranking of the best Sims 4 expansion packs can help.
Turn on both Enable Custom Content and Mods and Script Mods Allowed in the game’s options, then add the mods as our guide to installing Sims 4 mods and custom content explains. Most of this list, including every LittleMsSam and Kiara entry, needs XML Injector (see our XML Injector guide); you only need one copy however many mods use it. Two entries need a second download: the Animal Shelter Career needs Kiara’s Animal Shelter Lot Trait, and Natural Food for Pets needs the latest Cookbook.
A few of these replace EA’s own tuning. Rebalanced Animal Pregnancy and Pet to Pet clash with any other mod that edits the same pregnancy or pet social files, and the stray parts of Better Pet Hangouts may clash with other mods that change strays. If you ever remove My Pets, cancel every My Pets relationship first.
After every game update, check each creator’s page before you load a save. Our guides to fixing mods after a game update and clearing the cache cover the cleanup.
How We Chose These Mods
Every mod here changes how cats and dogs live in the game, or gives Sims work and goals built around them; pet custom content such as coats, collars, skins and pet furniture is left out. We ranked by each platform’s own popularity data for the theme: total downloads in CurseForge’s Sims 4 section, searched for “pet”, “pets”, “dog”, “cat”, “cats dogs”, “animal”, “vet” and “puppy” and sorted by total downloads, plus ModTheSims’ Pets section, which is almost all custom content. Every entry was checked on its creator’s own page for three things: that the download is free and public, that it is still there, and what the creator says about the latest patch. We left out adult content, paid or early-access-only releases and custom content, and we capped any one creator at four entries, which LittleMsSam and KiaraSims4Mods both reach. Only My Pets is also on our big Sims 4 list. For everything else in the game, see our Sims guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pet mod for The Sims 4? By downloads, LittleMsSam’s My Pets and Kids can go for a Walk with Dogs, with about 1.4 million each, followed by her Go for a walk with more Pets and Working Pet Water Bowls. For something bigger than a fix, Kiara’s Animal Shelter Career is the most downloaded pet career.
Are there Sims 4 pet mods that work without Cats and Dogs? Only a few. Cats and dogs only exist in the game with the Cats and Dogs expansion, so nearly every pet mod needs it. The two Ultimate Teen Careers entries, Pet Store Associate and Dog Walker, need no pet pack, and My Pets and Selectable Pets Always also work with Horse Ranch’s horses.
How do you control your pets in The Sims 4? Selectable Pets Always makes the cats, dogs and horses in your household selectable, so you can direct them and see their needs. For pets in other households, Sim Control Hub on our big Sims 4 mods list can take control of Sims and pets alike.
How do you keep more pets than the household limit allows? Install My Pets. It lets you move pets into a separate household and still treat them as yours, with options to call them over, check their needs and take them to the vet.
How do you adopt a stray in The Sims 4? Without mods, a Sim befriends the stray until they are friends, then chooses Adopt once it is on their home lot, as our adoption guide explains. Better Pet Hangouts adds a way to talk other Sims into adopting strays, and Pets Everywhere brings strays to worlds beyond Brindleton Bay.
Do Sims 4 pet mods work on console? No. Gameplay mods like these are for the PC and Mac versions of The Sims 4 only.