Cats spawn in villages and swamp biomes, and you can tame them with raw fish
Cats appear naturally in two places: villages (the structures with houses and NPCs) and swamp biomes (the wet, murky areas with lily pads). In villages, cats sit on beds and wander between houses. In swamps, they spawn less frequently but can appear near water. You do not need to build anything or wait for a specific time — they are straightforward there if you explore the right biome.
To tame a cat, you need raw fish — either raw cod or raw salmon, both caught by fishing or found in underwater loot chests. Hold the fish in your hand, approach the cat slowly, and right-click it repeatedly until red hearts appear above its head and a collar forms around its neck. The cat is now tamed and will follow you, sit when you crouch, and teleport to you if you move too far away.
Tamed cats are useful because they scare away phantoms (flying mobs that attack at night) and creepers (the explosive mobs) straightforward by being near you. They also look good as pets in your base. Unlike dogs, cats do not attack other mobs, so they are purely defensive and decorative.
Key Takeaways
- Villages are the easiest place to find cats — they sit on beds and wander between houses during the day.
- Swamp biomes also have cats, but they spawn less often and are harder to spot among the vegetation.
- You need raw fish (raw cod or raw salmon) to tame a cat, which you can catch by fishing or find in underwater chests.
- Tamed cats wear collars, follow you, and prevent phantoms and creepers from attacking you.
- Cats teleport to you if you move more than 100 blocks away, so you will not lose them if you travel far.
How to find cats in villages
Villages are the most reliable place to find cats. They spawn naturally in all village types — plains villages, desert villages, taiga villages, and others. When you arrive at a village, look on the roofs and inside the houses, especially on beds. Cats often sit on beds during the day and will jump down and wander when you approach.
If you do not see a cat when ready, walk around the village for a minute or two. Cats move slowly and may be on the far side of the village or inside a house. Villages are large enough that a cat might not be visible from your entry point. If you still do not find one after checking the whole village, that particular village straightforward did not spawn a cat — move to the next village you find.
The easiest way to find villages is to explore from your spawn point or use a map seed that is known to have villages nearby. If you are playing on a server or multiplayer world, ask other players where they found villages. In single-player survival, just walk in one direction for several hundred blocks and you will eventually find one.
How to find cats in swamp biomes
Swamps are wetter and darker than villages, which makes cats harder to spot. They spawn in swamps at the same rate as other passive mobs, so they are present but not may provide. Look near the water's edge and on lily pads — cats sometimes stand on these floating plants. They also hide under trees and in the tall grass that swamps are full of.
Swamps are recognizable by their dark green water, drooping willow-like trees, and abundance of lily pads and mushrooms. If you are not sure whether you are in a swamp, check your map or look at the water color — swamp water is noticeably darker and greener than regular water. Cats in swamps behave the same way as cats in villages, so once you spot one, the taming process is identical.
Getting raw fish to tame cats
Raw fish comes in two types: raw cod and raw salmon. Both work equally well for taming. The easiest way to get fish is to fish in any body of water — oceans, rivers, lakes, or even your own pond. Craft a fishing rod from three sticks and two string (string drops from spiders), cast it into the water, and wait for a fish to bite. This takes a few minutes but requires no other resources.
If you want fish faster, explore underwater ruins and shipwrecks. These structures contain chests with raw fish inside, along with other loot. Underwater ruins are common in oceans and appear as stone brick structures on the seafloor. Shipwrecks are wooden structures that spawn partially buried in sand or gravel. Both are straightforward to spot once you dive underwater and look around.
You only need one fish per cat, so if you find one fish in a chest, you can tame one cat when ready. If you want multiple cats, fishing is more reliable than searching for chests, since you can catch as many fish as you need in one location.
How to tame a cat step by step
Once you have raw fish and have found a cat, the taming process is straightforward. Hold the raw fish in your main hand (not your off-hand). Approach the cat slowly — do not sprint or jump, as this will scare it away. The cat will look at you and may run toward you or away from you.
Right-click on the cat while holding the fish. The cat will eat the fish and you will see red hearts appear above its head. Keep right-clicking and feeding it fish until a red collar appears around its neck. Most cats tame after one or two fish, so you do not need many. Once the collar is visible, the cat is tamed and will follow you.
If the cat runs away before you can click it, wait a moment and try again. Cats are not aggressive, so they will not hurt you — they just move away if they feel threatened. Approaching from the side or behind rather than head-on sometimes makes it easier to click them before they move.
What tamed cats do and how to control them
A tamed cat follows you wherever you go and teleports to you if you move more than 100 blocks away. This means you will not lose your cat even if you travel far from home. The cat sits down when you crouch (press Shift on most servers), and will stay sitting in that spot until you stand up again. This is useful if you want to leave your cat at home while you explore.
Tamed cats scare away phantoms and creepers just by being near you. Phantoms are flying mobs that attack at night if you have not slept in a few days — a cat nearby prevents them from spawning. Creepers are the green explosive mobs that destroy your builds — they will not approach a cat. This makes cats valuable for base defense, even though they do not actively fight.
You can dye a cat's collar by right-clicking it with a dye item (any color of dye works). The collar will change to that color, letting you customize the look of your cat. You can also name a cat by using a name tag, which prevents it from despawning if you leave the world and come back.
Differences between cats and other tameable mobs
Cats are different from dogs (wolves) in several ways. Dogs attack mobs that hurt you and will fight creepers and phantoms actively. Cats do not attack anything — they only scare mobs away by existing. Dogs require bones (dropped by skeletons) to tame, while cats require fish. Dogs sit when you right-click them, while cats sit when you crouch.
If you want a mob that actively defends you, tame a dog. If you want a mob that prevents certain mobs from spawning and looks good as a pet, tame a cat. Many players tame both — dogs for combat and cats for base defense and companionship. You can have multiple cats and multiple dogs following you at the same time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find cats in the Nether or End?
No. Cats only spawn in the Overworld (the main dimension) in villages and swamps. They do not spawn in the Nether or End, and if you bring a tamed cat to those dimensions, it will not despawn but it will not be useful there either.
Do cats need food to stay alive?
No. Once tamed, cats do not need to be fed. They will follow you indefinitely without eating. You only use fish to tame them in the first place.
What happens if my cat dies?
Your cat will drop the collar it was wearing (if it had one) and you will lose it. You will need to find and tame another cat. This is why many players use name tags on their cats — it makes them feel more permanent and worth protecting.
Can I breed cats?
Yes. If you tame two cats and feed them raw fish while they are near each other, they will breed and produce a kitten. The kitten will be tamed to you automatically and will grow into an adult cat over time.
Do cats work on multiplayer servers?
Yes. Cats behave the same way on multiplayer servers as they do in single-player. Only the player who tamed the cat can make it sit by crouching, but any player can see the cat and interact with it.