How to Tame a Stray Cat in Minecraft Easily

To tame a stray cat in Minecraft, hold Raw Cod or Raw Salmon and slowly approach it. Stand still, let the cat come to you, and feed it fish. Repeat until hearts appear.

Besides being cute companions, Minecraft Cats also protect you by scaring off Creepers and Phantoms. A tamed cat sleeping near you can also bring you useful morning gifts like String, Feathers, and even Rabbit’s Foot. If you are building a survival base or planning for tougher nights, cats are a solid strategic pick.

In this article, we will cover where to find stray cats, how to tame them without scaring them off, and how to make the most of having them around in Minecraft.

Prepare Your Gear

Before you go looking for a cat, grab some fish first. You will need Raw Cod or Raw Salmon to tame Cats in Minecraft. These items are the only foods that Cats eat in the game, and they also work for healing.

Here are a few things to keep in mind before you start:

• Raw fish only.
  • Cooked fish does not work, keep your Cods and Salmon raw.
• Bring extras.
  • Each fish only has a 1 in 3 chance of taming the cat. Some cats take more attempts than others.
• A Fishing Rod helps you restock quickly if you run low on Raw Cods or Raw Salmon.

Find Your Feline

Minecraft Cats spawn in two main locations: Villages and Swamp Huts. Villages are your best bet. Cats spawn there as long as the Village has at least four-to-five claimed Beds, depending on your game edition. The game spawns roughly one cat per four owned Beds, up to a maximum of five cats for larger Villages.

Villages can appear across many biomes, including Plains, Deserts, Savannas, Snowy Plains, and Taigas. If you are hunting one down, coordinates are not fixed since Villages generate randomly. Your best move is to explore or use the /locate structure village command if you are on Java Edition.

Swamp Huts are rarer. Each one spawns exactly one black cat alongside a Witch. If you are after the black cat variant specifically, a Swamp Hut is where you will find it. Swamp Huts generate in Swamp biomes, so look for flat, murky terrain with dark trees.

The “Statue” Technique

You can use the statue technique to tame cats more reliably. Cats spook easily. Rushing them will send them sprinting away.

• Spot the cat and stop moving when you are about 10 blocks away.
• Equip your Raw Cod or Raw Salmon and hold it in your hand.
• Crouch (sneak). This makes you less threatening to the cat.
• Do not move your feet or your camera. Stay completely still and let the cat walk toward you on its own.
• Wait for the begging animation. The cat will crouch and slowly approach you while making begging sounds. Only feed it once it is close enough.
• Right-click to feed. If it does not tame on the first try, stay still and try again. Keep feeding until pink hearts appear.

Pro Tips for Difficult Cats

Some Minecraft cats can be stubborn. If a cat keeps running off before you can feed it, try these:

• Use a Lead.
  • Stray cats can be leashed. This stops them from wandering too far while you prepare.
• Box it in.
  • Place a few Dirt blocks around the cat to create a small enclosure. This limits how far it can run and makes the taming process easier to manage.
• Find a corner.
  • If a cat naturally walks into a corner of a building or Fence, use that to your advantage.

Benefits of a Tamed Cat

Once tamed, Minecraft cats earn their keep. Here is what they bring to the table:

• Creepers keep their distance.
  • Creepers will not approach within 6 blocks of a cat. Park a cat near your base entrance and Creepers think twice.
• Phantoms stay back.
  • Phantoms keep at least 16 blocks away from any cat.
• Morning gifts.
  • Tamed cats may leave you a gift like:
    • String
    • Feathers
    • Raw Chicken
    • Rabbit’s Foot
    • Rabbit Hide
    • Rotten Flesh
    • Phantom Membrane

The Phantom Membrane drop alone makes cats worth keeping if you are farming Potions of Slow Falling.

Ready to Find Your New Best Friend?

If you’re ready to find your new cat best friend in Minecraft, here’s a quick recap of everything we covered, so you can have everything you need before venturing into Minecraft.

• Bring raw fish. Raw Cod or Raw Salmon only. Cook nothing. Bring at least 10 to 20.
• Head to a Village for the easiest cat hunting. Bigger Villages have more cats.
• Try Swamp Huts if you want the rare black cat variant.
• Use the Statue Technique. Stop at 10 blocks, crouch, hold your fish, do not move, and let the cat come to you.
• Box in stubborn cats with a Lead or a few Dirt blocks if they keep fleeing.
• Enjoy the perks. Creeper deterrent, Phantom repellent, and useful morning gifts are all waiting for you.

Getting a few cats settled around your base is one of the easiest quality-of-life upgrades in the game. Now go find your new companion. And while you are at it, what is the funniest name you have ever given a Minecraft pet? Or the most exotic animal you brought to your base, like Polar Bears.

Cats are also quite popular in roleplay Minecraft servers, where they can also serve as ice breakers. If you have never played on such a server before, you can quickly find it on MineRank’s list of Minecraft servers.

Cat Taming FAQs in Minecraft

What is the easiest way to tame a cat in Minecraft?

The easiest way to tame a cat in Minecraft is to crouch, hold out Raw Cod or Raw Salmon, and stand still about 10 blocks away. Let the cat come to you, then feed it until hearts appear.

Why is it so hard to tame cats in Minecraft?

Taming cats in Minecraft is hard because they spook easily and run away if you move too fast or get too close. Each feeding also only has a 1 in 3 chance of working, so it can take several fish before the cat is tamed.

Can cats be tamed in Minecraft?

Yes, cats can be tamed in Minecraft using Raw Cod or Raw Salmon. Simply find a stray cat in a Village or Swamp Hut and feed it fish until hearts appear.

Which is the rarest cat in Minecraft?

The rarest cat in Minecraft is the black cat. It only spawns naturally inside Swamp Huts, with just one per hut, though it can also appear in Villages during a full moon.