A Minecraft cat is a tameable mob that you can befriend and keep as a pet, and its main benefit is that it deters creepers and phantoms from getting too close to you or your builds. To get one, you’ll need to find a stray cat in a village or a swamp hut, then tame it by slowly approaching while holding raw cod or raw salmon.
What is a Minecraft cat?
A cat is a tameable mob in Minecraft. Tamed cats follow the player, can be made to sit by interacting with them, and help deter nearby creepers and phantoms.
Where to find a Minecraft cat
Cats spawn in two locations: villages and swamp huts.
Villages: Cats spawn in villages, with the number of cats tied to the village’s bed and cat limits. A village must have at least five claimed beds and one villager to spawn cats, with a maximum of 10 cats per village. In Bedrock Edition, villages spawn one stray cat for every four claimed beds, with a maximum of five cats; having more than 20 owned beds does not increase the number. In Bedrock Edition, a fourth of the cats that spawn appear as kittens; during a full moon, half of the cats that spawn will be black.
Swamp huts: Swamp huts always generate a black cat alongside a witch. This cat is guaranteed to be there and never despawns, making it the most reliable source for the black cat variant. In Java Edition, new cats don't spawn in swamp huts if there's already an existing one within a certain block volume.
How to tame a Minecraft cat
- Find a stray cat in a village or swamp hut.
- Hold raw cod or raw salmon in your hand.
- Approach the cat very slowly, crouch-walk while holding the fish. Moving too fast will spook the cat and make it run away. Cats avoid players who appear within 16 blocks even if the player isn't moving quickly. You must be within 10 blocks of the cat for it to slowly approach you.
- Feed the cat raw cod or raw salmon. Keep feeding until hearts appear above the cat and a red collar appears around its neck. This means it is now tamed. If you fail an attempt to tame a cat, it won't try to approach you again for a while.
How to breed cats in Minecraft
- Ensure both cats are already tamed and are not sitting.
- Make sure both cats are at full health, they need full health to enter love mode.
- Feed each cat raw cod or raw salmon. Hearts will appear, triggering love mode.
- After a few moments, a kitten will be born. The kitten’s color pattern will be similar to one of its parents.
How cats behave
Tamed cats follow you unless you tell them to sit. Interacting with a tamed cat makes it sit. Tamed cats deter creepers and phantoms, keeping them away from you and your builds. Tamed cats also sometimes bring you gifts, such as rabbit’s foot, rabbit hide, rotten flesh, raw chicken, string, feathers, and phantom membranes, when you sleep. They like to sit on chests, active furnaces, and the foot of beds, which can block you from using those blocks until you get the cat off. You can get a cat off a chest by commanding it to stand, holding a raw fish, attacking it, removing the block, or pushing it off. Untamed cats will attack chickens, baby turtles, and rabbits that are within 15 blocks. Killing an adult cat drops one or two strings (not 100% chance) and 1-3 EXP if stray, or 1-7 EXP if domesticated; killing a kitten drops nothing and gives no EXP. Cats tend to trap themselves in boats if you enter one.
Cat types
There are 11 cat variants in Minecraft: Black, British Shorthair, Calico, Jellie, Persian, Ragdoll, Red Tabby, Siamese, Tabby, Tuxedo, and White. These are based on real-life cat breeds or community designs, and all have the same spawn chances. The Jellie variant is based on a real cat owned by YouTuber GoodTimesWithScar. A gray Tabby variant exists in the game files but is not used in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can untamed cats breed?
No. Both cats must be tamed before they can breed. Untamed cats will not enter love mode.
Do cats need fish?
Yes. Raw cod or raw salmon are the only foods documented for taming and breeding cats. You cannot use cooked fish or other food items.
Do cats need to sit to breed?
No. In fact, the cats must not be sitting when you feed them to trigger love mode. A sitting cat will not breed.
Do Minecraft cats protect you from all mobs?
No. Cats only deter creepers and phantoms. They cannot attack or fight other hostile mobs like zombies or skeletons.
How many Minecraft cats can you own?
There is no limit to how many tamed cats you can own. However, each village has a maximum cat spawn limit that includes strays, kittens, and tamed cats following the player.
Are ocelots the same as cats?
Ocelots are now an entirely separate mob from cats and cannot be tamed into cats.
For the wider topic, see batteries and charging.
