5 things to remember while taming passive mobs in Minecraft

Taming mobs is one of the most enjoyable parts of Minecraft. While they can't all become 'pets' like wolves and cats can, they can still be tamed and be friendly and helpful to players. Mobs like ocelots, foxes, horses and more can all be tamed and used for the player's benefit or enjoyment.

Almost all of the tameable mobs in Minecraft are tamed differently. Taming a wolf is different from taming a fox, and taming a cat requires a very different technique than taming a horse. Still, there are several things players may forget when taming mobs. This article contains the important things that players need to remember about taming passive mobs.

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5 key things to remember when taming Minecraft mobs

1) Be patient and cautious

Wolves aren't easily spooked, but many mobs are. Ocelots, cats, foxes and others will run away from players who are trying to tame them. Sometimes, this isn't the end of the world as players can chase them down and feed them whatever food they require. It's easier to just be patient and cautious, though.

When taming them, crouching and sneaking up to them is usually the smartest method. It may be a little slower than usual, but it'll pay off when the players are able to feed them and tame them much easier than otherwise.

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2) Keep an empty hand

This applies to horses, mules, donkeys, and mobs that can be tamed by being ridden. When sitting on any of these mobs, players will need to be patient and see if the mob loves them. However, they might get kicked off and will have to try again.

When mounting such mobs, players should always keep an empty hand. For whatever algorithmic reason that takes place, this helps the mob become friendly more quickly.

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3) Cats scare creepers

Cats and ocelots are useful for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest is that they scare creepers.

Stationing a few around or outside a base is a great way to ward off creepers and protect the build. Many gamers probably forget just how useful that is. There is probably nothing more frustrating than having a creeper sneak up on an unaware player and blow them and their creations up in a second.

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4) Sit them down

Tamed Minecraft wolf (Image via Mojang)

This doesn't apply to all mobs, but it's incredibly important for the ones it does apply to. With Minecraft wolves and cats, it is paramount that players remember to sit them down when they don't want the mobs to follow along. Wolves and cats will follow or teleport to the player if they're not sitting down.

This can put them in dangerous situations, whether it's in the middle of the ocean (where they can drown) or in the middle of a fight with hostile mobs. These pets don't have a ton of health, so they can die quite easily.

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5) Bring a lot of food

Wolves require bones and cats/ocelots require raw fish to be tamed. Parrots need seeds. The number required varies from mob to mob. It's completely random. For this reason, it is imperative to have a lot of these items when setting out to tame mobs. It's frustrating to run out of bones after feeding a stubborn wolf all five of them.

This is true for all of those mobs, so players should have plenty of each item. There's no guarantee it'll take a lot (sometimes mobs are tamed on the first try), but there's a good chance crafters will need more than they think.

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Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.