The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs introduced pets and vet clinics to The Sims 4. Pets, just like Sims, have health needs that must be met to ensure they live happy, full lives. When they become sick, it is up to their Sim parents to take them to the vet and cure their illness. Sims can also become veterinarians and spend their days caring for sick pets, completing checkups, or performing surgery. Not only that, but players can purchase and run their own clinics.
If Sims own a vet clinic, it is theirs to completely customize, with a few requirements, and maintain a good business model. With proper preparation, this is easy work, but with great power comes great responsibility, so this guide has everything Simmers need to know about running a vet clinic in The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs.
Buy A Vet Clinic
The first step in running a vet clinic is to purchase one. Players can start with a previous save final or a new one with a fully customized animal-loving Sim using some new traits from Cats and Dogs. While in live mode, click on the cash register at the end of the Sim panel at the bottom of the screen. Players who own Get to Work and Dine Out can buy a restaurant, retail store, and vet clinic. In this instance, select "Buy a Vet Clinic" to get started.
Players will then get sent to the neighborhood screen, where they will purchase an available lot for their vet clinic. For those who wish to avoid building a clinic from scratch, Brindelton Bay has a premade vet clinic that Sims can buy. A fair warning though, it is not cheap and costs about 80,000 simoleons fully furnished. Nevertheless, building a vet clinic does have its perks, and Sims can decide precisely how they want it to look and how much it costs. After choosing which lot to build on, players must turn it into a Vet Clinic Lot from the lot panel. They will get a list of required objects that make it a complete vet clinic, including the following:
- Exam Table
- Vet Podium
- Waste Disposal
These items are optional but recommended:
- Surgery Station
- Medicine Crafting Table
- Medicine Vending Machine
It is also wise to include public bathrooms, an office, and an employee break room to ensure the vet clinic will be as successful as possible. Players can also add any lot traits or challenges to their lot for fun gameplay and passive effects.
After buying the vet clinic, the played Sim will travel there immediately and get the option to transfer funds to the business. These funds come from the Sim's household account, and it is recommended to start with at least 10,000 simoleons in the business account, but players can add or subtract funds from there at any time.
Customize the Vet Clinic Business
Sims can customize their vet clinic settings from the business panel whenever they are on the lot. The business panel is also where Sims transfer funds, purchase Perk Points, Open and Close the clinic, view finances, and manage employees. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the clinic is properly managed by editing the Vet Clinic Settings as soon as it's bought.
Manage the Business
To access the vet clinic settings, open the business panel and select the shop and wrench icon next to the star rating. This opens the management settings where players can edit the price markup, advertising, supply quality, and veterinarian work uniforms. In the unfortunate event that Sims can no longer handle the vet clinic, they can also sell it from this menu by choosing the price tag option on the bottom left side.
Manage Employees
After customizing the management settings, the next step is to decide whether the clinic will have employees. If players want to run a smooth shop and serve more customers in a timely manner, it's a good idea to hire other Sims as veterinarians. All clinics only start with 1 Employee Slot, but Sims can use Perk Points to unlock up to two more slots. A list of available vets for hire will display their Veterinarian, Charisma, and Handiness skills. After choosing the perfect employee, players can then manage them in a few ways, such as promoting them or firing them from the Manage Employees menu.
Sims can also manage their employees using social interactions. To access these, click on the employee and select the "Manage.." tab to pull up the following social options:
- Ask to Craft…
- Promote to Vet Level # ($/hr)
- Praise
- Fire
- Criticize
- Check Up On
- Responsibilities…
- Pay For Training…
If unsure how a Sim feels about working at their clinic, Sims can "Check Up On" them to get their opinion and adjust their management style. Business owners can also set their employee's responsibilities and duties while on the clock or ask them to craft goods. Perhaps most important is paying for training to increase their skills faster, resulting in happier customers.
Purchase Vet Clinic Perks
Vet Clinic perks are essential traits or benefits a clinic can get in exchange for Perk Points. Perk Points are earned by running a successful business with happy customers and employees. Perk Points will stack up by Sims completing management or veterinarian tasks. A complete list of all Vet Clinic Perks is below:
Icon | Perk | Perk Point Costs |
 | Additional Vet #1 - Sims can hire an additional vet employee. | 350 |
 | Unlock Vet Supply Quality - Sims can choose the quality of their vet supplies. | 500 |
 | Vet Rush - The clinic gets a temporary influx of customers. | 500 |
| | Patient Patients - Sims are less likely to get upset at slow wait times. | 600 |
| | Additional Vet #2 - Sims can hire an additional vet employee. | 900 |
 | Inspirational Speech - Owners can inspire their employees with a speech. | 900 |
 | Lower Employee Training Costs - Employee training is cheaper. | 1,500 |
 | Well Managed - Sims can spend more time away from their clinic while it's open and will still run smoothly. | 4,500 |
 | Reduce Pet Stress - Pets get less stressed during examinations. | 5,000 |
 | The Vet Coat - Sims get a bonus lab coat. | 5,000 |
Maintain a Good Star Rating
All businesses, including vet clinics, have star ratings that measure customer experience. Vet clinics start with a 1-star rating, and it is up to the owner to increase it quickly. Customers will automatically rate the clinic at the time of their service. They are looking for excellent service, short wait times, and fair prices. The clinic will get a low rating if a customer thinks this is lacking.
Sims can view customer feedback after closing or from the business panel's finance breakdown. They will have very specific things that the clinic needs to work on to get better ratings. Of course, vet clinic perks can also assist with some of these shortcomings.
The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.