Cats and dogs in The Sims 3: Pets have their own unique skill related to hunting and finding collectibles.

In the PC/Mac version, both cats and dogs share the Hunting skill. Cats can stalk and catch minor pets such as rodents, reptiles, birds, and beetles, while dogs can "sniff out collectibles" like rocks, metals, gems, and "special" fragmented items. Both animals can occasionally fail and return with junk, including snake skins, feathers, maple leaves, or discarded chip bags.

Pets must learn to hunt before finding items in the world. Cats gain skill by practicing with toys from the pet toy box, while dogs are taught by their Sims. Caught prey can be eaten, kept as a pet, sold for Simoleons, or released.

In The Sims 3: Pets for console, hunting is slightly reworked. It is divided into two distinct skills: Hunting for cats and Digging for dogs. Cats can be taught how to hunt by their owners before they begin on their own. Cat hunting has been expanded to include ghost and spirit hunting, while dogs use digging to unearth buried treasures. Failing simply returns no reward. Upon completion of challenges, cats can gain telepathic abilities.

The Skill Journal for pets is like that of normal Sims, with the exception of pets only having one skill.

Statistics

PC/Mac

Cat

Dog

• Number of Gems Found
• Number of Metals Found
• Number of Rocks Found
• Number of Collectible Fragments Found
• Number of Fragmented Objects Assembled

PS3/Xbox 360

Cat

Dog

• Gems Found
• Metals Found
• Rocks Found
• Beetles Found
• Seeds Found

Challenges

PC/Mac

Cat

Creeping And Crawling

A Creeping And Crawling expert has caught 20 Beetles. As a reward, the chance of catching and finding rarer Beetles is increased.

Slither Stalker

A Slither Stalker has caught 20 reptiles. As a reward lizards, snakes, and turtles will always successfully be caught.

Feline Fisher

A Feline Fisher has caught 20 Fish. As a reward the chance of catching rarer fish is increased.

Homing Whiskers

Cats with Homing Whiskers have caught at least 20 rare prey. As a reward the amount of time it takes to find prey is decreased.

Dog

Gem Finder

Gem Finders have found 50 or more Gems and have developed the ability to find rare gems more easily!

Metal Finder

Metal Finders have found 50 or more Metals and have developed a knack for finding rare metals more easily!

Rock Finder

Rock Finders have found 50 or more Rocks and have gained a boosted ability to find rare rocks more easily!

PS3/Xbox 360

Cat

Creeping And Crawling

Creeping and Crawling requires that at least 25 beetles have been caught. Cats who have accomplished this feat have an increased chance to capture the rarer beetle types.

Spider Stalker

Spider Stalkers have found at least 25 spiders. Accomplished Spider Stalkers never fail at catching spiders, no matter how rare the spider.

Homing Whiskers

Catch at least 15 rare prey to earn the title of Homing Whiskers. A unique statue is rewarded upon completion (check your inventory for it).

You control the Horizontal. You control the Vertical.

The cat has caught at least 25 poltergeists. Televisions and stereos are now under feline control!

(Your cat may now watch television and listen to music on their own...for the fun of it!)

Never Beg Again!

The cat has caught at least 25 ghosts. Sims can now be commanded to feed you at your whim. No more begging for food!

(The Command interaction is now available on Sims.)

Love and Adoration on Demand

The cat has caught at least 15 ghosts. Sims can now be compelled to give you love anywhere, anytime. As it should be!

(The Command interaction is now available on Sims.)

That Personal Touch

The cat has caught at least 10 ghosts. Sims can now be compelled to clean your litter box. As they should!

(The Command interaction is now available on Sims in your household).

Dog

Gem Finder

Gem Finders have found at least 50 gems.

Metal Finder

Metal Finders have found at least 50 metals.

Rock Finder

Rock Finders have found at least 25 rocks.

Beetle Finder

Beetle Finders have found at least 25 beetles.

Seed Finder

Seed Finders have found at least 50 seeds.

Abilities

PC/Mac

Cat

• Starting at level 0, a cat can practice Hunting on a Cat Toy.
  • They can also practice Hunting by the "Play...", "Pounce" command on a fellow cat.
• After reaching level 1 in Hunting, a cat can "Go Catch Something" anywhere in the world. The area clicked on is the area the cat will search. Sometimes the area can be empty. There does not actually have to be visible prey in the area in order for the area to not be 'empty.' Usually an area is only empty is it has already been hunted in recently.
• After reaching level 5 in Hunting, a cat can be ordered by a Sim to "Go Catch Something." This is very similar to the cat clicking an area to look by itself, except that it isn't limited to the area clicked on. Instead the cat searches the entire property it is on when ordered. The cat can, however, still come back empty handed.
• After reaching level 6 in Hunting, a cat can be ordered by a Sim to catch something specific (Rodent, Snake, Turtle, Beetle, Bird, Fish, or Lizard). Strangely the Challenge Rewards don't affect a cat's success rate if sent Hunting this way. Sometimes the cat can also just look around, decide there are none near by and give up. The cat won't always understand and they might bring back the wrong kind of prey. The chances of bringing back the correct prey depends on the cat's Hunting skill level and whether it has the Genius or Clueless trait. If the cat successfully catches something, it will try to present their catch to the Sims that sent them out.
• After reaching level 7 in Hunting, cats gain the ability to "Locate Prey." This can be used to track the position of Rodents, Snakes, Turtles, Beetles, Birds, Fish, or Lizards. The tracked prey becomes marked on the map (although you can zoom in and actually see them as well) until the cat completes its next action. On the map, the markers are indistinct, only showing the category the tracked prey belongs to but zooming in allows you to mouse over the prey and find out specifically what it is. 'Prey' currently being kept as a Minor pet is also tracked when this ability is used, even if it is in a terrarium in the house shared with the cat.

Dog

• Starting at level 0 a dog can be trained by a Sim to hunt.
• After reaching level 1, a dog can "Sniff Out Collectibles" anywhere in the world.
• Dogs with a hunting skill of 5 or higher can be told to "fetch date" and will bring back an attractive member of the Sim's preferred gender. This only works when on a community lot.
• After reaching level 6 in Hunting, a dog can be ordered by a Sim to find something specific (Gem, Metal, Rock, or 'Something'). This is similar to pets hunting on their own, though pets sent out to hunt will try to present their finds to the Sims that sent them out. The dog can still fail if sent out this way, instead obtaining worthless junk or nothing at all. If a dog finds 3/3 pieces of a fragmented collectable, the object can be "assembled" for a unique object to decorate the Sim's home or sold for a decent amount of Simoleons.
• After reaching level 7 in Hunting, dogs gain the ability to "Locate Collectible." This can be used to track the position of Gems, Metals, or Rocks. The tracked collectible becomes marked on the map (although you can zoom in and actually see them as well) until the dog completes its next action. On the map, the markers are indistinct, only showing the category the tracked collectible belongs to but zooming in allows you to mouse over the item and find out specifically what it is.

PS3/Xbox 360

Cat

• At level 0, cats must be taught how to hunt by their Sims; however, if the cat has the hunter trait, they can immediately begin to "Go Stalk Something" without any prior training.
• After reaching level 1, a cat can "Go Stalk Something" anywhere in the neighborhood. The cat will walk around the area until critters automatically spawn. The cat will then walk toward the critter to catch it. If successful, the critter will be added to inventory; if not, nothing will happen.
• At level 2, cats have a chance of catching grasshoppers.
• At level 3, cats have a chance of catching spiders. They can also begin to stalk something specific, including beetles and butterflies. Whatever prey is picked will always be what the cat finds; the only "danger" is failing to catch it.
• At level 4, grasshoppers can specifically be stalked.
• At level 5, cats have a chance of catching lizards. Spiders can also specifically be stalked.
• At level 4, lizards can specifically be stalked.
• At level 7, cats can detect, stalk, and hunt spirits, poltergeists, and ghosts. Only a spirit can be specifically stalked from the menu. The cat will look around as a spirit spawns somewhere in the vicinity. Once a spirit is located, the cat will walk to it, levitate, and shoot lasers out of their eyes to catch it. During a haunting, cats can "Detect Ghostly Presence," which reveals the location of invisible entities.
• At level 8, cats can investigate local hauntings that occcur in rabbit holes at night for rewards.
• At level 9, the chance of finding rare prey, including paranormal entities, is increased, along with its success rate.

Dog

• At level 0, dogs can use the "Dig Here" interaction on the ground to dig a hole.
• After reaching level 1, dogs can "Sniff Something Out" anywhere in the neighborhood. The dog will walk around the area before digging at a random spot, unearthing collectibles, including beetles and seeds. They also have a chance of finding relics. The time it takes to dig a hole is reduced by the digger trait.
• At level 4, dogs can "Sniff Ground" to detect what is buried on a specific part of a lot.
• At level 5, dogs have an improved chance of finding precious metals.
• At level 6, dogs can sniff out metals, rocks, gems, seeds, or beetles.
• At level 7, dogs have an improved chance of finding different types of gems.
• At level 9, dogs have an improved chance of finding special seeds.

Descriptions of each skill level

In the PC version, no unique flavor text is displayed beyond Level 1; therefore, the remaining levels are sourced from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version.

Cat

Dog

Gallery

A cat hunting a spirit in The Sims 3: Pets (console).

The Lucky Cat Statue, unlocked after completing the Homing Whiskers challenge (console).

Notes

There is currently a bug in the PC version which can prevent a pet from ever obtaining the Hunter trait through 'training,' no matter how many times the pet is sent to hunt. This trait is still obtainable for the pet by choosing it after using the 'Attitude Adjustment' Lifetime Reward on the pet.