Note, I found this forum and basically copy-and-pasted my comment on Updates to here.

I would like to suggest individual settings for different artwork (especially pet artwork, because pet art is probably the most noted art on the site and is probably what brings in and keeps most players).
For example, in Preferences, one could have Artwork Settings so people who preferred original pet artwork could toggle on/off new or old artwork versions. Perhaps default settings would have all newer artwork on, but older users who preferred the original art could keep their pets and continue to enjoy the game.
In addition, more options means more players if you can suit the tastes of more people. It certainly seems like the new artwork is much appreciated, but there also seem to be a number of users who dislike it.

Just for the sake of evidence, I have been playing this one sci-fi online game (called Pardus) for over 2 years. They recently released new artwork for its spaceships and buildings, which make up the core of the game's system. However, since the release of new artwork, the developers ensured that players could choose between all the offered artwork styles (called imagepacks). They also later added other optional settings.
I guess my point is, the more settings you have for things that will really affect gaming experience, the more likely you can attract and keep a larger number of players. That's what's in it for Rescreatu itself.

Edit: I just realized someone had posted something similar to this before under the name of "converting" pets... very sorry, I didn't see it before.