Whether it is the real world or Minecraft, cats are truly adorable and demanding creatures. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that befriending them in the game isn’t simple. But, worry not. We are here to uncover how to tame a cat in Minecraft with ease. 

How to Tame a Cat in Minecraft (2024)

From finding cats to getting their favorite food, our guide covers everything about taming a cat in Minecraft. Explore each section thoroughly to avoid errors. 

What are Cats in Minecraft

Cats are common passive mobs in Minecraft that have a very playful nature. They share the same model as axolotls but are much smaller in size. Moreover, you can find various designs and patterns of cats in your world. In terms of diversification, they are only second to tropical fish.

Types of Cats

There are 11 unique variants of cats in Minecraft, including:

• Black: Completely black fur with bright orange eyes
• British Shorthair: Silver fur with yellow eyes
• Calico: Orange and brown pattern on white fur with yellow and blue eyes
• Jellie: Gray and white fur with grayish-green eyes
• Persian: Beige fur with light blue eyes
• Ragdoll: Light brown pattern on white fur with blue eyes
• Red: Orange and white fur with green eyes
• Siamese: White and light brown fur with blue eyes
• Tabby: Brown and white fur with yellow eyes
• Tuxedo: Black and white fur with green eyes
• White: Snowy fur with yellow eyes

Furthermore, there is also a secret gray tabby cat in the default texture pack of the Bedrock edition. But, there is no way to spawn it in the vanilla game without using Minecraft animal mods.

How to Find Cats in Minecraft

Naturally, you can find up to 4 cats in every village of Minecraft. If there are at least five claimed beds, more untamed cats can also spawn as time progresses. You can find all variants of cats inside the villages. But, the black cats only spawn during the full moon phase.

Other than villages, you can also find one cat inside the witch's huts in the swamp biome. Additional cats might spawn if you place grass blocks around the hut. But, the huts can only spawn the black variants of the cats.

Steps to Tame a Cat in Minecraft

Similar to taming a fox in Minecraft, you have to use food to attract and befriend a cat in Minecraft. Let's explore how!

What Do Cats Eat

Just like their real-world counterparts, cats in Minecraft are fond of fish. You can feed them raw cod or raw salmon to heal, breed, and even tame cats in Minecraft. When it comes to collecting fish, these are your best options:

• Hunting: Often, the easiest way to collect cod or salmon is by hunting them in oceans or rivers. The best Minecraft beach seeds can make the process quite simple.
• Other Mobs: You can also kill dolphins, Guardians, Elder Guardians, and polar bears to get fish as loot. But, doing so puts you at risk of getting hunted.
• Villagers: Under the Hero of the Village effect, fishermen villagers gift raw cod and salmon to players. You can also find fish in their chests.
• Fishing: While it takes a long time, fishing is a great passive option to get cod and salmon in Minecraft. This method also allows you to collect some experience orbs.

Approach and Tame a Cat in Minecraft

Once you have collected food, follow these steps to tame a cat in Minecraft:

1. Naturally, stray cats are scared of players and maintain a distance of 7 blocks from them. So, unless you want them to sprint away, you must sneak while approaching cats.

2. Furthermore, you can also hold raw salmon or raw cod in your hand to win their trust. But, if you stop holding the fish or turn too quickly, the cat will run away.

3. After getting close to a cat, right-click on it to feed it raw salmon or cord. It only takes 1-3 fish to tame a cat.

4. Once a cat is tamed, a red collar appears on its neck and it starts following you around.

5. Later, you can use dye to change the color of your cat's collar. This makes it easier to identify them when you have multiple cats of the same variant.

Get Gifts from Cats

Unfolding one of the cutest acts in the game, tamed cats sleep near their owners in Minecraft. They also wake up right when the player wakes up. Furthermore, there is a 70% chance of them giving you a gift after waking up.

But, this only happens when the player sleeps during the night and not during a thunderstorm. Not to forget, when you command your cat to sit, it cannot sleep or give you gifts.

As for the gifts, you can expect to get the following items:

• Rabbit's foot
• Rabbit hide
• String
• Rotten Flesh
• Phantom Membrane
• Feather
• Raw Chicken

Do Multiple Tamed Cats Give Multiple Gifts

As mentioned earlier, tamed cats only give gifts to the player if they sleep next to them. On the Java edition, this mechanic allows all your tamed cats to give gifts. But, on the Bedrock edition, only one tamed cat can offer gifts. While Minecraft 1.21 or a later update might bring parity, currently Java players have a better deal.

Other Benefits of Taming a Cat

More often than not, the gifts from cats are easy to obtain from other methods in the game. But, there are a lot of other reasons to tame a cat in Minecraft. These include:

• Protection: Phantoms and Creepers are scared of cats and avoid getting close to players if there is a cat next to them.
• Hunting: While they are a passive mob, cats tend to attack rabbits and baby turtles. You can make them sit to prevent cats from hurting your other pets.
• Adventure: Cats are immune from fall damage in Minecraft and they also keep explosive Creepers at bay. This makes them a great partner for adventures and you also don't have to always look out for them.
• Invisibility: If you are playing on the best Minecraft SMP servers, you can find invisible players using their tamed cats. These mobs can see and follow their owners even when they are invisible.

Why is my cat not taming in Minecraft?

Here are a few common reasons that can prevent you from taming a cat in Minecraft:

• If someone already owns a cat, there is no way to tame or steal it.
• At times, cats require multiple offerings to be tamed. So, keep feeding raw salmon or raw cod to your cat unless red hearts appear above its head.
• On version 1.13 and earlier, you can only get a tamed cat by taming ocelots.

Befriend and Tame a Cat in Minecraft

Just like that, you are now ready to tame your first cat in Minecraft. But, owning a pet comes with a lot of responsibilities. First, you need to build an Iron Golem in Minecraft to keep hostile mobs at bay. Next, you must make a boat to fish food for your cats. As for the shelter, there is no better option than stone bricks. With that said, it’s time to start your next adventure with your feline friends. Happy exploring!