Cats are one of the best pets in Minecraft. They follow you, sit on command, scare away creepers and phantoms, and even bring you gifts in the morning. Taming one takes a little patience, because stray cats run away if you move too quickly. This guide explains how to tame a cat in Minecraft, what cats eat, where to find cats, how to breed them, every cat variant including the rare black cat, and the useful things a pet cat does for you in Java and Bedrock Edition.
What do cats eat in Minecraft?
Cats eat raw cod and raw salmon. Cooked fish does not work, and neither do tropical fish or pufferfish. You use raw fish to tame stray cats, breed tamed cats, heal them and make babies grow faster. Catch raw cod and salmon with a fishing rod, or kill fish in rivers and oceans.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Food for taming | Raw cod or raw salmon |
| Where to find cats | Villages (stray cats) and swamp huts (black cats) |
| Breeding food | Raw cod or raw salmon |
| Variants | 11 skins, including the all-black cat |
| Special abilities | Scare creepers and phantoms, bring morning gifts |
| Health | 10 (5 hearts) |
Where to find cats
Stray cats spawn in villages, usually around houses with beds; bigger villages with more beds have more cats. All-black cats spawn at swamp huts, the small houses where witches live. Cats can also spawn in villages over time as the village grows. Do not confuse cats with ocelots, which live in jungles and cannot be tamed into pet cats in current versions.
How to tame a cat in Minecraft
- Find a stray cat in a village.
- Hold raw cod or raw salmon in your hand.
- Stand still or move very slowly. Stray cats are skittish and run if you approach quickly. Let the cat come to you; it is attracted to the fish.
- When the cat is close, feed it the fish. Keep feeding until red hearts appear. It can take several fish.
- Once tamed, the cat gets a red collar, follows you and sits when you use it.
Sneaking helps you get closer without scaring it. If the cat runs, wait for it to calm down and try again. In Bedrock, the same method works: hold fish, approach slowly and feed until hearts appear.
Tamed cat behavior
- Following: tamed cats follow you and teleport to you if you get too far away, as long as they are not sitting.
- Sitting: use the cat to make it sit or stand. Sitting cats stay put, which is handy for keeping them at home.
- Sitting on blocks: cats like to sit on beds, chests and lit furnaces. A cat on a chest stops it from opening until you move the cat.
- Purring and meowing: cats purr when you pet or feed them, and meow for attention.
- Collar color: use any dye on a tamed cat to change its collar color.
Why cats are useful
They scare creepers
Creepers are afraid of cats and ocelots and run away from them, usually staying about 6 blocks away. Keeping a few cats around your base or farms greatly reduces creeper explosions.
They scare phantoms
Phantoms, the flying mobs that attack players who have not slept for several nights, avoid cats within a radius of about 16 blocks. Cats make a great defense for open builds and rooftops.
Morning gifts
If a tamed cat is not sitting and you sleep in a bed, there is a good chance the cat lies on your bed and gives you a gift when you wake up. Gifts include string, rabbit hide, rabbit’s foot, feathers, raw chicken, rotten flesh and, rarely, a phantom membrane. Phantom membranes are otherwise only dropped by phantoms, so cats are a peaceful way to get them for repairing elytra and brewing slow falling potions.
How to breed cats
- Have two tamed cats close to each other. They must be standing, not sitting.
- Feed each one raw cod or raw salmon. Hearts appear above them.
- A kitten spawns. It is already tamed to you.
- The parents can breed again after 5 minutes.
The kitten’s skin is usually random or inherited from a parent. Kittens grow up in about 20 minutes, and feeding them fish speeds this up.
All cat types in Minecraft
| Cat type | Look | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Tabby | Brown striped | Villages |
| Tuxedo | Black and white | Villages |
| Red | Ginger | Villages |
| Siamese | Cream with dark points | Villages |
| British Shorthair | Gray | Villages |
| Calico | White, orange and black patches | Villages |
| Persian | Fluffy cream | Villages |
| Ragdoll | White with brown face | Villages |
| White | All white | Villages |
| Jellie | Gray and white, from a community cat | Villages |
| Black | All black with yellow eyes | Swamp huts, and villages during a full moon |
In villages, the chance of an all-black cat increases at night during a full moon. Many players set out to collect every cat variant as a long-term goal.
Cats vs ocelots
Ocelots live in jungles and run from players. Feeding an ocelot raw fish while being still makes it trust you, so it no longer flees, but it does not become a pet: it will not follow you or sit. Trusting ocelots still scare creepers and phantoms. If you want a pet that follows you, tame a village cat instead.
Keeping cats safe
- Make cats sit inside your house when you go exploring.
- Name them with a name tag so they never despawn and are easy to find.
- Heal injured cats by feeding them fish.
- Do not take cats into the Nether; lava and ghasts are dangerous.
- Keep cats away from lava and cliffs, since they follow you everywhere.
Cat FAQ
How do you tame a cat in Minecraft?
Hold raw cod or raw salmon near a stray village cat, stay still until it approaches, and feed it until hearts appear.
What do cats eat in Minecraft?
Raw cod and raw salmon.
Can you tame an ocelot?
No. You can make an ocelot trust you, but it will not become a pet.
How do you get a black cat?
Find one at a swamp hut, or look for one spawning in a village during a full moon.
Do cats despawn?
Tamed cats never despawn.
How many cats should you have?
One cat is enough to follow you around and bring morning gifts, but for creeper and phantom defense, several cats work better. Many players keep two or three cats sitting at different spots in their base, such as near the front door, the farm and the bedroom. In multiplayer, every player who sleeps near a cat they own can receive gifts, so each player tames their own. Avoid breeding huge numbers of cats in a small space, because too many mobs in one area causes lag and makes your base noisy.
Cat sounds and personality
Cats have more sounds than most mobs: they meow, purr, hiss when hurt, and make a little begging sound when you hold fish. Stray cats in villages wander between houses and often sleep on beds at night. Tamed cats also like to sleep beside you when you go to bed, which is how the gift mechanic works. If you do not want a cat jumping on your chest of valuables, place a slab or a trapdoor on top of the chest, or keep cats sitting in another room.
Can you ride or leash a cat?
You cannot ride cats, but you can put them on a lead to move them somewhere without them teleporting around. Read how to make a lead in our guide to leads, which also lists every leashable mob.