A series of brushes let you create specific markings on your pet, either completely free hand, or through a collection of stencils. This is all thanks to a powerful new feature: paint mode.
In some places, the pet editor even goes beyond its human counterpart. You can adjust anything from ear size to the shape of your pet’s brow. As a result, you’ll get a good likeness of your real pet (or raccoon?) in the virtual world. The new tool offers a ton of different breeds, as well as the ability to crossbreed and fine-tune the details of your pet. Though limited to cats, dogs, foxes, and raccoons, creating pets is the best it’s ever been. However, if you can make it past these changes, there’s plenty of content to fill the void. That, combined with the omission of the pet careers found in The Sims 2, makes for an initial step back. Playable pets were first introduced with The Sims 3, but the developers have decided against it this time around.
In essence, you’ll have no control over your pets. Due to a substantial change, some may find it doesn’t.
