Are you puzzled about what cats can consume in Minecraft? Cats are animals with a prominent presence in Minecraft and, like all living beings, need to ingest food to survive. They also have lots of similarities to real-life counterparts in terms of movement, loyalty, fur color, and even consumption of food items. However, some such items are far easier to come by, and certainly simpler than in real life. Right off the bat, we’d like to dispel one illusion you might have. Contrary to popular belief, cats are lactose intolerant and their digestive system can’t process milk. This applies to in-game cats, too. Remember that while we answer, “What do cats eat in Minecraft?”
Is there a difference between feeding stray and tamed Minecraft cats?
Knowing how to distinguish an untamed cat from the domestic one is crucial for giving food. Like in real life, in-game cats are wary around strangers but can be loyal to their owners. Therefore, you need to learn proper ways to approach them. Otherwise, your desire to feed them will be fruitless. Here’s are two types of in-game cats:
Untamed or stray cat
All cats that spawn naturally are stray cats. However, some tend to despawn if there’s a mob limit in a given area. You can find them in a Minecraft village, so long one villager is present, and there are between 4 and 40 beds (one cat per 4 beds can spawn at a maximum in Java Edition). This is far more restrictive in Bedrock Edition because only beds villagers own count among those four. Also, there’s a maximum of 20 beds or 5 cats at any one time. Moreover, if you encounter a swamp hunt, you may run into a rare black cat that appears near a witch hostile mob and never naturally disappears.
We’re saying all this because of three key facts about cat behavior in Minecraft:
- Cats that spawn in a village don’t always remain there. They begin exploring the surroundings and can wander off.
- These feline creatures can see you even if through your Invisibility status, regardless if you achieved it through an administrator Minecraft command or using potions.
- Stray cats will actively avoid you, keeping a distance of at least 16 blocks. What’s more, they will run away rapidly if you get closer than 7 blocks away. Two sole ways to get near them are:
- Setting the game difficulty to Peaceful, exclusive to Java Edition.
- Sneaking, though they’ll still see you, only viable in Bedrock Edition.
Tamed or domesticated cat
A domesticated cat is a result of taming cats in Minecraft. We already explained how these cats behave under the headline “Facts about cats in Minecraft”. There isn’t a lot to add since you already know where to find one and won’t struggle to feed them. You may also consider breeding cats, a result of feeding two cats of the opposite gender. With that, let’s get into the matter.
What can cats eat in Minecraft?
Minecraft cats can only eat two food items: Raw Cod (also known as uncooked Cod) and Raw Salmon (likewise called uncooked Salmon). You can get both from fishing, killing guardians, polar bears, or salmon mobs. Moreover, you may get one as a villager gift when you have the effect titled Hero of the Village. They cannot consume the cooked version or a Milk Bucket, as many players expect. Feeding a tamed cat is straightforward: you highlight the food item in your hot bar and use it as we explained in step 4 of the taming guide above. However, the situation is different with stray cats.
Untamed cats will sprint as we already specified. Thus, the solution is to let them come to you like this:
- Get closer until you two are 10 blocks apart.
- Hold Raw Salmon or Raw Cod, and stop any further action. A stray cat will approach you carefully.
- When the feline is right in front of you, utilize the same controls from step 4 to give it food.
- If you switch to a different item, move even slightly, or turn suddenly, the cat will dash away to a distance of at least 7 blocks. In that case, you must repeat steps 1 through 3 and wait a few seconds until the mob regains confidence.
Effects of giving food to a cat
While we’ll cover the topic of breeding cats separately, it’s pivotal you know these four things linked to food cats eat in Minecraft:
- Giving enough makes two cats transition to “love mode” i.e., get hearts above their heads.
- A kitten that consumes food reaches maturity 10% faster every time it is fed.
- Giving the aforementioned food items to tamed cats restores their health points by 2 (1x ♥). You can’t heal stray cats, however.
- Tail position of domesticated cats doesn’t reflect their current health points. This is the case with feeding tamed wolves.