Cats have been in Minecraft for what seems like forever, but they have changed a few times since they were first added in 1.2.1. Most notably, they now spawn as their own mob and have a variety of different colors available to discover. They’ve also been given their own achievement, The Complete Catalogue, which is awarded when a player finds and tames all the cat variations.
Whether you’re an avid cat-lover, an achievement hunter, or just want to try taming a new pet, we’ll walk you through taming and breeding Minecraft cats. We’ll also teach you about every cat variation and how you can find each one in your own Minecraft world.
How to Tame a Cat in Minecraft
To tame a cat, players must gather either Uncooked Cod or Uncooked Salmon. Both of these items can be fed to stray cats to make them friendly. However, players must approach stray cats the right way to feed them either of these foods.
Approaching a Minecraft cat too quickly will cause it to run away. You’ll need to slowly walk to them with the food in your hand, preferably while crouching and avoiding jumping. Feed them until red hearts appear around the cat. A collar will appear around their neck, and the cat will officially be your pet!
How to Get Uncooked Cod and Uncooked Salmon
The easiest way to get both Uncooked Cod and Uncooked Salmon is by fishing. Uncooked Cod and Uncooked Salmon are pretty common items in the fishing loot table, so gathering a lot shouldn’t be difficult.
To craft a fishing rod, you’ll need three sticks, two strings, and a crafting table. Place the first stick in the lower left box, the second stick in the center box, and the third stick in the top right box. Afterward, fill the remaining two boxes on the right side of the crafting interface with one string each.
If you don’t feel like crafting, you could also trade with a Fisherman villager for an enchanted fishing rod. Fishing rods can also spawn as loot in certain structures, including ocean ruins.
What do Tamed Cats do in Minecraft?
The major perk of taming cats is that they can scare away Creepers. Specifically, Creepers will run away quickly when they come within a few blocks of any cat, either tame or feral. Taming plenty of cats and leaving them to rest around your base helps reduce the number of explosions around your base to zero.
How to Breed Cats in Minecraft
Breeding two tamed adult cats requires at least one of the same food items used to tame wild cats. You can use two of the same item or one of each; the only requirement is that there must be at least one for each cat you want to breed.
- Uncooked Cod
- Uncooked Salmon
Feed each cat one item. They will come together, hearts will generate around them, and their baby will appear! The baby will look like one of its parents, and it will be loyal to the player.
Keep in mind that breeding can only occur between two adult cats. Feeding a baby kitten one of these foods will only make it turn into an adult faster. Additionally, it’s important to be aware that there is a cooldown period after two cats have been bred. You’ll either need to wait for their cooldown to end or breed two other adult cats to make more kittens.
Where to Find Cats in Minecraft
All Cat Types in Minecraft
There are 11 total types of cats available in Minecraft. This does not include Ocelets, as they cannot be tamed like regular cats. The following list contains all of the currently available kinds of cats:
- Black
- British Shorthair (gray)
- Calico
- Jellie (dark gray and white)
- Persian
- Ragdoll
- Red (orange)
- Siamese
- Tabby
- Tuxedo
- White
Most of these cats will spawn randomly in or around villages, so you’ll need to keep an eye out if you want to collect one of each type. This rule has one exception: black cats, which only spawn in two unique circumstances.
Where to Find a Black Cat in Minecraft
The “spooky” stereotype of black cats has affected their spawn conditions in Minecraft. Black cats will only spawn under two set conditions. Firstly, they will spawn in villages, but only on the night of a full moon.
Black cats are also the only cat that will spawn in a Witch Hut structure. These cats will act just like cats that spawn around villages.
If you’re looking to tame every animal in Minecraft, make sure to check out our Minecraft guides hub to learn about taming foxes, horses, and so much more!
Published: Sep 15, 2026 10:38 pm