Arguably one of the most popular pets, both in Minecraft and real life, cats provide an adorable splash of personality to anyone’s home. Not just that, but cats also serve a critical defensive role as they naturally frighten away creepers and phantoms. So, a couple of well-placed cats can effectively make your home creeper-proof!
But getting a cat of your own isn’t as simple as having a dog. You need the right food to tame them, and a careful hand to not scare them off. Not sure what we mean? Don’t worry – we’ll explain everything you need to know to feed a cat below.
You can give cats even more purpose, too, thanks to the countless community-made mods that exist. This is why we’ve also listed some mods below that are sure to delight any cat lover.
How to Feed a Cat in Minecraft
Cats will only eat two things: raw cod and raw salmon.
- Cod can be found in the Ocean biome, as well as all of its variations.
- Salmon can also be found in all Ocean biomes, but also the River and Frozen River biomes.
Both fish can be caught using a fishing rod, but they also appear as in-world mobs. Attacking these mobs will cause them to drop themselves as the raw item. You can scoop them up in a bucket, but this isn’t considered a food item so cats won’t take any interest.
Having the right food isn’t enough, though. Cats are very skittish creatures and are prone to running away when frightened. To feed a wild cat successfully, follow these steps:
- Hold raw cod or salmon in your hand.
- Stand still, about 10 blocks away from the cat you want to tame.
- Wait for the cat to approach you.
- Feed the raw cod or salmon to the cat until hearts appear and the cat is wearing a collar.
Congratulations! That cat now belongs to you. It will follow you around, sitting on things like chests, furnaces, and the foot of a bed. You can also interact with the cat to prompt it to sit, where it will then stay until prompted otherwise.
What Else Would Feeding a Cat Do?
You can use raw cod or salmon on tamed cats to heal them. Each piece of fish restores 2 points of health. This will only work on cats that belong to you, though as you can’t really heal someone else’s cat.
Healthy cats can be bred as well using the same food items. When fed, they will enter love mode, and will breed with any other nearby cats that have also entered love mode. The resulting kitten will have the same fur pattern as one of the parents, while the color of the collar will be a blend between the color of both parents’ collars.
Minecraft Mods That Are Purrfect For Cats
These cute critters spend most of their time sitting around. And while that’s pretty accurate to real cats, you might enjoy giving a little more depth to the ones found in Minecraft.
These mods will do just that, expanding on cats in different ways, each sure to put a smile on your face.
1. Cat Jammies
A bit of an internet meme, the “Cat Jammies” mod makes one small but adorable change to cat behavior. When you play music from a music box, any nearby cats will begin bobbing their heads to the music.
As entertaining as it is with one cat, it’s even better when several are nearby. And now that absolute banger music discs like Pigstep and Tears exist, there’s all the more reason to put a record on and jam out.
2. Simply Cats
Plenty of mods strive for accuracy, but few mods can really capture responsible accuracy. That’s what makes the “Simply Cats” mod so interesting. It introduces a new system that follows the process you might take in real life to adopt a cat correctly and responsibly.
You start by getting a pet carrier. They’re required when you visit one of the shelter villagers, after all. Once there, you can adopt from a variety of cats. Each shelter cat is spayed/neutered, so they can’t breed.
You can even craft a variety of cat trees and other furniture designed specifically for feline enjoyment. All of this is a pretty fair portrayal of how to responsibly adopt a cat in the real world, and there’s something just so charming about that.
3. Cat Burger
Tired of chasing realism?
When you want maximum cuteness overload, you need the “Cat Burger” mod. With it, you can craft a floating companion from bread, cooked beef, and a Totem of Undying. The result is an adorable floating cat burger that follows you everywhere you go.
It’s not just for looks, either. While equipped, the cat burger will slowly keep you well fed while also serving the same role as a Totem of Undying if you should die.
How to Install Minecraft Mods
You can install the above mods automatically using the CurseForge app or manually by placing the mod files within your game’s mods folder. Both methods allow you to easily add custom features and enhancements into your vanilla Minecraft experience.
If you want to learn more, you can read our detailed guide on how to install Minecraft mods.
Common Issues and Quick Fixes
This wild jungle cat I found won’t follow me after being tamed
If you found a cat in a Jungle biome, you more than likely found an ocelot instead. Like cats, ocelots will run from you unless you calmly hold out raw cod or salmon. They can even be fed the fish!
The main difference is that you cannot tame an ocelot – only gain its trust. This will keep it from running away, but it will never follow you or behave like a normal cat.
This is made all the more confusing by Minecraft’s history. Originally, domestic cats were made by taming an ocelot. But eventually, cats were made a separate mob and ocelots were no longer tamable.
The cat ran away, even though I didn’t move
The shy approach of cats takes more than just your physical placement into account. Even turning your head too quickly can startle them into running away.
Make sure you move slowly, and try to avoid moving your camera at all while the cat is approaching you.
My cat won’t stay seated
If you or another player takes damage from something other than environmental damage (falling, fire, etc.), then any nearby cats will get up, move further away, and sit back down. If they don’t sit, they may be unable to find an appropriate location far away enough to sit down at.
To fix this, make sure to keep your cat far enough from anywhere mobs or other hazards might damage you, including along exterior walls surrounding your house. Otherwise, make sure it has enough free space to relocate if it does happen.