Cats in Minecraft are passive mobs that you can tame using raw cod or raw salmon. Afterward, they’ll follow you or stay in a specific place. Also, players can breed cats and use them to scare some hostile mobs.
In our Minecraft cat guide, we'll go through everything you need to know about these animals. You’ll find out how to tame cats in Minecraft, breed them, understand their behavior, and use them in the game.
Before collecting fish for taming, you'll first need to know where cats spawn. You can find them in:
All naturally spawned cats appear as stray cats. Unlike wild wolves, they may despawn naturally, so it's best to tame a cat you like as soon as possible if you don’t want it to disappear.
What food do cats eat in Minecraft? You can only feed them raw cod and raw salmon to tame, breed, heal, and grow them. At the same time, there is no difference between the Minecraft cat food you use. For example, both raw cod and raw salmon restore 2HP when fed, and each has a 1-in-3 chance of taming a cat.
Additionally, you can feed a kitten with a golden dandelion to stop its maturing process. If you want to continue its growth, simply give it another golden dandelion.
At last, you’ve found a village or a swamp hut, and now you want to know how to get a cat in Minecraft. Here are detailed instructions for the taming process:
When it comes to Minecraft cat taming, stray cats will sprint away from you within 7 blocks and will actively try to avoid you within 16 blocks. To tame them, just hold raw cod or raw salmon in your hand within 10 blocks. Eventually, a cat will start approaching you, allowing you to feed it until it’s tamed. If you turn too quickly or remove the fish from your hands, a cat will run away. Additionally, note that even if a cat is stray, you can still leash it.
A Minecraft cat's behavior significantly changes after taming. Once you see a collar on its neck, you’ll be able to give it the following commands:
Also, unless you ordered your cat to sit, it may teleport to you if it’s more than 12 blocks away. Unfortunately, in this case, a tamed cat may teleport into an inaccessible location, which often results in injuries or even suffocation.
Unlike wolves, tamed cats don't attack hostile mobs. When they are stray, they can pursue and damage only rabbits and baby turtles within 15 blocks. After taming, a cat no longer attacks mobs. Moreover, if it sits close to you when you get damaged by a hostile mob, a cat will stand, move a few blocks away, and continue sitting.
New players often ask “Why won’t my cat tame in Minecraft?” Well, there may be several reasons, and each requires a specific solution. The same applies to breeding, since you may ignore several important factors. The table below will help you understand these issues and offer you efficient solutions:
| Minecraft Cat Taming Problem | Solution |
| A cat runs away | 1. A stray cat will eventually run away if you sprint toward it. Move slowly or crouch. |
| A cat doesn’t eat food | 1. Ensure that you feed it the right food. |
| Cats don’t breed | 1. Verify that both cats are tamed.
2. Ensure that at least one of the cats is standing. 3. Consider a 5-minute breeding cooldown for each cat. |
| An ocelot doesn’t turn into a cat | 1. In new Minecraft versions, ocelots can’t be tamed and don’t turn into cats. |
You may be wondering why you ever need a cat in your Minecraft world if it doesn’t attack hostile mobs like a dog. Nevertheless, these animals can repel the most annoying enemies in the game — creepers and phantoms. Thus, you can use them to protect your base in survival mode.
Another unique mechanic is Minecraft cat gifts. Every time you sleep, a tamed cat moves toward you and lies on the bed. In the morning, there is a 70% chance that your cat will give you a gift after waking up. Keep in mind that this mechanic works only if you sleep at night and your tamed cat hasn’t been ordered to sit.
What gifts do cats give in Minecraft? Here is a table with surprises you may get from your beloved pet:
| Gift | Chance |
| Rabbit's foot | 16.13% |
| Rabbit hide | |
| String | |
| Rotten flesh | |
| Feather | |
| Raw chicken | |
| Phantom membrane | 3.22% |
Getting more cats is always a good idea to ensure complete protection of your base in a survival world. Just follow these simple steps:
There are 11 Minecraft cat variants in the game: All Black, British Shorthair, Calico, Jellie, Persian, Ragdoll, Red, Siamese, Tabby, Tuxedo, and White.
Once a cat is tamed, it receives a collar. By default, this accessory is red. Wondering how to change a cat collar color in Minecraft? Simply use one of the sixteen colored dyes on your cat.
Are cats and ocelots the same in Minecraft? No, these are mobs with completely different spawning locations, taming mechanics, and behavior:
| Feature | Cat | Ocelot |
| Spawning locations | Villages and swamp huts | Jungle biomes |
| Taming | Can be fully tamed | Cannot be tamed |
| Behavior | Can sit on beds and chests, give morning gifts, and scare away creepers and phantoms | Attack chickens and baby turtles, scare away creepers, and run away if a player approaches too quickly |
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