Sunset Valley - townies don't have pets

[Hope512]

I've been playing for a few sim weeks now. My sim adopted a dog and was offered a cat another time. I've seen one named cat, several stray cats and dogs and wild horses. But none of the townies have dogs or cats with them, or in their homes except for the two who had animals to adopt but I haven't seen their pets around town. It's almost surreal. I go to the dog park, no dogs, cat park I saw one cat. But there was a ghost cat in the gym, in the daytime. It's very frustrating, if I want puppies I'm going to have to adopt another dog which I don't want to.

There was an opportunity at the stadium for 'best in show', my sim's dog was the only dog that turned up although there were quite a few sims, one on them Jack Bunch who gave my married female sim flowers! Cheeky so and so!

[Noodles]

If you are already several sim weeks into the game, there really should be some pets in the town. In my games, the townies usually adopt too many pets for my liking and I nowadays turn the function off (this can not be done without mods). I thought the named pets always belong to some household in town. Have you gone to Edit town and checked the households if there really are no pets at all? Maybe there are some but they just have not been around town for some reason. I'm sorry but I don't know any reason or solution to a situation where the townies are not getting pets when they should, so I can't be very helpful on this... 

[Hope512]

Thanks  , I'll check in Edit Town I didn't think of that. 

[warr2098]

In my game claire ursine had 6cats at week 1 day 5 

[Hope512]

Okay, I've checked using the map view and hovering over the houses. I did this several times since not everybody is in all the time.  Nothing. I went into one house where there definitely is a cat, who doesn't show up in the portrait list and doesn't go around town. I took my sim to take part in the best in show. Her dog was the only one there, there was a named cat but it didn't seem to be with anybody.

It's been more than a couple of sim weeks. Where are they?

I've seen stray dogs, who come to the house, I try to befriend them, but they stay about two seconds and disappear, and I never see the same one twice! I guess they just don't like my sims! I've tried leaving food out, I'm going to try that again. Not sure if it makes any difference though. I'm annoyed because I want my dog to have puppies and I'm not adopting another one, I've got a nooboo, a dog, a cat and a turtle. It's already chaos.

[Korva]

Do you have story progression on?

[Noodles]

Pet adoption system is separate from EA's Story progression, which can be a problem when the player wants to prevent the adoption of any pets. Meaning, even if the Story progression is off, townies will adopt pets. The only way to stop pet adoption is to have a mod.
(this information is from twallan/NRaas, but I couldn't find a direct link, sorry)

By the way Hope, it is easier to check who lives where in Edit town than Map view. Click "..." and choose Edit town. Then just click around the house icons to see image of the household members. No need to switch active household, or for the sims living there to be at home.

[Korva]

Ah, I didn't know that. I never saw pets adopted until I turned on story progression. Litters showing up in houses without pets, yes, but no adoptions.

[Hope512]

Thanks Noodles, Korva.

I've got story progression on. I'll now check in Edit Town. I want townies to adopt pets. Maybe then I'll actually see some around town.