[Adder]

Don't recall anything offhand about pets in the world, and wanted to see what people thought. I assume (/have read about?) there are robopets that act like dogs and cats, but there have to still be plenty of real pets around.

Any thoughts on costs/licenses/acquiring?

(to be clear, these are "normal" pets that are never intended to be used in combat or anything)

[firebug]

I believe the 4e book Running Wild has stuff about pets, like what lifestyle is needed to own one (generally, nobody can support pets easily with anything below Middle) and how much it costs.  It also includes more exotic pets like some awakened critters.

There's certainly "pet drones", no doubt.  There's also AR pets, which is like if you were playing Nintendogs or Tamagachi with your AR glasses and junk.

I think the book also includes lots of information if you did want to have combat pets too, by the way.  Stuff about "Warform" and biodrones (shudder).

[Sendaz]

Hell-a-pugs still make great additions to any household (once suitably fireproofed of course)

[silentninjadesu]

In our group we just sort of hand wave it. One of out characters has a pet dog, even tho she's a squatter. (We explain it as a stray she feeds sometimes, so it sticks around.) For these kinds of fun, flavorful things that don't impact game play a whole lot, the GM should, imo, support it within reason, (like, someone at low lifestyle with 5 dogs seems a bit much) as it increases players investment in their character, makes the game more fun, and improves role-play opportunities. Plus kidnapping the dog can be a fun plot point to get someone invested in the run.

[Aryeonos]

Running wild would be your best bet, I think in some of the setting books they touch on it too. If memory serves in Runners companion and Augmentation they talk about gene engineered pets.

But if I recall right, the general consensus amoung the general population is that pets are messy time consuming resource intensive luxury and who has the time or energy for that crap on top of your 12 hour 7 nuyen an hour shift? Not to say people dont have them, but they`ve become very rare and very costly. I`d say as a general rule they cost 5 times as much and increase your necessities by one step, just as a GM handwave without the precise resources.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

 Also in regards to the flavor of pets ...

... as I understand it, most of them taste like chicken.

[Aryeonos]

Yeah but the price of rattle snake these days is outrageous.