The title says my question. I had a cat for one of my families with no collar and he ran away. I looked it up and they told me the cat would only be returned if it had a collar but might turn up on other lots. I've been playing with my other families to see if he'll turn up, but so far there's been no sign of him. Will he ever pop up again?

Thanks.

If you call the Missing Animal Police (Or whatever it's called) within 24 Hours of it running away, there is a chance the police will find it. It is a 100% chance if it has a collar.

Do animals show up in the adoption pool like children do? Will the game even let you adopt if an animal ran away? I can't remember if it will or not.

I think if your family moves from that lot it'll be put in the adoption pool.

Well, don't play on other lots, play on the cat owners' lot for a week or two, it'll be returned in no time. I had that Abbey stray dog (wolf) and she ran away. She didn't have collar, yet she was returned in about one week.

I think there's a random chance every day of it coming back. I had a cop bring back a collarless dog within a week. I don't think I knew to call the police about it, they just brought the dog back.

Regarding collars -- how the heck do I put the collar on the dog after I've bought it? Is it in the Change Appearance menu, maybe?

I seem to recall that it's an option when you change a pet's appearance using a mirror, yes :-)

When I had a cat run away, she didn't have a collar and was returned to me by another playable in the neighborhood a while later. I think 2-3 sim weeks but can't be sure. And I continued to play other lots in my rotation as usual. Just be sure to answer the telephone when it rings. I tend to play with volume down so low that I miss phone calls a lot.

I agree with "wickedblue" I have the Prima Official Game Guide Book basic on Pets here are some of the tips and reasons why your pets will run away here as follow:

1.They're chased by another pet ( mostly cowardly pets. )
2.They're chased by a wolf or lose a fight with another pet.
3.They starved for attention, ( social need drop below 85 )
4.A fire break out.
5.The pet have a master that dies.

"Most important" of all is be sure your pets have a collective daily and lifetime relationship with all sims and pet within the household, they are less likely to run away.

Recovering A Pet as follow:

1. There is no time limit for reporting an uncollared pet lost as long as another household doesn't adopt it. ( that can only happen if you are playing another household )

2. Send a sims to the phone and use "Report Lost Pet" whether your pet has a collar or not your sims will eventually receive a phone call asking if they want the pet return.

3. If the pet has a collar, you don't need to report the pet is lost each day there is a random but declining chance that another sim or cop will phone to say they found the lost pet, and ask if you want it back.

This is "Most Important" If a pet runs away from a lot and appears as a stray when you're playing another lot. That sims in the current household can use the "Call Pet's Owner" interaction to contact owner.

Also if the pet has a collar or collarless, but someone in the current household has a daily relationship above zero with the pet, then the owner will visit shortly to retrieve the lost pet giving thanks and getting a daily relationship boost toward the sim that called, and may offer a monetary reward to the sims who contact the sims who lost their beloved pet. I hope these tips will be of help to anyone who may experience the lost of their pets.


In the real world:

I wish that would happen in the "real world" most people where I live have a picture of their dog or cat with the contact information and they post it on a pole or building. Sometime they may get the pet back if they are lucky.

I am a bird person so if my big two pet parrot got lost it will be my own big carelessness for leaving the door or window open once they get out they will "never come" back. I have had my parrots "Dusty & Spike for 16 years now so I am lucky.

I would go nuts without my pet birds, when they was much younger I did not know if they was female or male they have to be older in order to know, so they both ended up with a boy name yet they are both female, and they both can talk sometime to much.

Ahh Pets. One of the only things I miss from TS2. *SIGH*

I have never had a pet running away from my Sims' homes, so I can't offer any help on this. I can only say that when the relationship between a newly adopted or bought pet is low even the pet owners often roll the fear of the pet running away. The best way to make sure the pet won't leave is to work the relation up to 100 by having your Sim spent a lot of his/her time playing and hugging the pet. And never, ever, neglect cleaning and filling their feeding plates.