I realize these names could get confusing as the story goes on. I’ve been a kitten mom now - my cat’s name, conveniently, is Puppy - for a little over two years. I’ve had Major, my extremely long Bassett Hound–mix puppy, since July. They are their own bosses now, for better or worse. The unpredictability and lack of control in Cats & Dogs has an uncanny way of mimicking the messy, rewarding chaos of life with a furry companion. Pets can’t have jobs anymore, as they did in The Sims 2, and players can’t control their actions, like they could in The Sims 3. The Sims 4 ’s new expansion, Cats & Dogs, certainly does its own version of simplification, while still maintaining a unique form of complexity. Games often simplify the complex emotions of everyday life. You’re in charge of a life now, and that’s scary. You’ll think you’ve prepared by buying enough disinfectant to mop up the buckets of pee. Fans of their own pets don’t tell you how much you’ll cry during the first week, and definitely not much the animal will cry, or how much time you’ll spend consoling your partner after your new puppy tears apart their most prized possession. The reality of the situation rushes in quicker than many expect.
The first few hours of life with a puppy are pure bliss.
