I used to play with pets more, but lately I've been getting annoyed of how my sims - who don't even have the cat lover trait - would spend their every waking moment talking to their cats, while ignoring their human family members and everything else in their life. So the cats had to go. They'd probably be fine If I wanted to play a hermit with no friends who never leaves their house, but my sims have children and friends, who require attention too.