How to Tame a Cat in Minecraft and Keep It Close
To tame a cat in Minecraft, approach a stray cat slowly and feed it raw cod or raw salmon until hearts appear above its head. Here is how to tame a cat in Minecraft, step by step, from finding wild cats to keeping your new pet safe, following, and teleporting with you.
A tamed cat wears a collar, follows you around, and scares away creepers and phantoms. Taming takes nothing more than patience and a stack of raw fish.
Find a Stray Cat to Tame
Wild cats, called stray cats, spawn in villages. Look around populated villages during the day and you will usually spot a few wandering between houses.
Each village can hold several cats based on how many beds it has, so bigger villages mean more cats to choose from. Black cats also spawn at swamp huts, which is the spot to visit if you want that specific look.
If a village has no cats yet, the population can grow over time as villagers claim beds. Come back later or try another village if you find none at first.
Note: Stray cats are skittish. They wander off if you rush at them, so plan to move slowly from the moment you see one.
Bring the Right Food
Cats are tamed only with raw fish. Specifically, that means raw cod or raw salmon, not cooked fish and not any other food.
Catch the fish by fishing in any water, or kill cod and salmon that swim in oceans and rivers. Bring more than you think you need, since taming can take several tries.
Stock up before you travel. Having a full stack of raw fish means you will not have to leave a skittish cat to go find more.
- Fish or hunt to gather raw cod or raw salmon.
- Carry plenty, because one feed rarely tames on the first attempt.
- Hold the fish in your hand before you approach the cat.
Approach Slowly and Feed the Cat
This is the core of how to tame a cat in Minecraft. Hold the raw fish and walk toward the cat gently, without sprinting or jumping at it.
Stop when you are close and stand still. Cats are cautious, and sudden movement makes them run, so let the cat get comfortable near you.
Feed the fish while you are close enough to interact. Repeat the feeding, and after a few fish, hearts will burst above the cat and a collar appears, meaning it is now yours.
That slow, patient feeding is really all there is to how to tame a cat in Minecraft, so resist the urge to chase and let the fish do the work.
Tip: Stand still and let the cat come to you rather than chasing it. Movement is the main reason taming attempts fail.
Keep and Care for Your Tamed Cat
A tamed cat follows you on its own. It will also sit when you interact with it, which is useful when you want it to stay put somewhere safe.
If a cat is standing, it teleports to you when you travel far, just like a tamed wolf. If you tell it to sit, it stays in place until you tell it to stand again.
You can change the collar color with any dye. Interact with your cat while holding a dye to recolor its collar and tell your pets apart.
| Command | How to do it | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Sit / Stand | Interact with the cat | Toggles whether it stays put or follows |
| Recolor collar | Interact while holding dye | Changes the collar to that color |
| Breed | Feed two tamed cats raw fish | Produces a kitten of a random parent pattern |
Why a Pet Cat Is Worth It
Cats are more than decoration. They actively protect you from two annoying threats in the game.
Creepers avoid cats and keep their distance, so a cat near your base reduces surprise explosions. Phantoms, which swoop in when you have not slept, are also scared off by a nearby cat.
A sleeping player with a tamed cat nearby may wake up to a small gift the cat leaves behind. Keep a cat or two around your home and you gain a guard, a companion, and the occasional present.
Cats also fit naturally into a village build. Since strays already live there, taming a few turns your trading hall into a lively, protected space without any extra effort on your part.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food tames a cat in Minecraft? Only raw cod and raw salmon work. Cooked fish, meat, and other foods will not tame a cat, so always bring raw fish.
Where do I find cats to tame? Stray cats spawn in villages during the day, and black cats spawn at swamp huts. Larger villages with more beds tend to have more cats.
Why does the cat keep running away? You are probably moving too fast. Walk slowly, then stand completely still and let the cat settle before and during feeding.
How do I make my cat stop following me? Interact with it to make it sit. It will stay in that spot until you interact again to make it stand and follow.
Can tamed cats teleport to me? Yes. A standing, tamed cat teleports to you when you move far away, so it will not get left behind as long as it is not told to sit.
How do I breed two tamed cats? Feed raw cod or raw salmon to two tamed cats that are near each other. Hearts appear and a kitten is born, taking a random coat pattern from one of its parents.
