What are cats good for in Minecraft?

Minecraft's cats arrived in the game over a decade ago and have remained faithful pets to players ever since. While these creatures have gone through plenty of revisions over the years, they remain quite beneficial to players who have raw fish to tame them. Although these animals don't have the combat support capabilities of some pet mobs, they can be useful in other ways.

As of the most recent iterations of Minecraft, cats can be found roaming villages and witch huts. Though they're initially skittish, players can tame and breed cats by feeding them fish items like raw cod and raw salmon. Once tamed, cats will follow players unless ordered to sit.

If Minecraft fans have just tamed their first cat, they should know the full scope of uses these pet mobs possess.

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Major uses of cats as of Minecraft 1.20+

Deterring creepers and phantoms

Creepers and phantoms aren't fans of cats in Minecraft (Image via Megamanny/YouTube)

Not too many Minecraft mobs annoy players worse than creepers and phantoms. The former has a dangerous explosive ability, while the latter appears when it isn't needed and can swoop in and harass players from above. Fortunately, cats have something of a solution to both problems.

Even when creepers and phantoms are pursuing players, they'll stay at a distance if a cat is nearby. Creepers will stay six blocks away from a cat, and phantoms will keep their distance with a 16-block range. This can heavily diminish the threat that both mobs present for players.

It should be noted that although cats can keep creepers and phantoms at bay in Minecraft, they can't prevent creepers that are already beginning to detonate. Since this is the case, players still need to be mindful of their positioning relative to any creepers, even if they're being kept away via cats.

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Offering gifts

Cats occasionally provide gifts to their owner after they've been tamed (Image via iDeactivateMC/YouTube)

After being tamed, cats will occasionally leave gifts for Minecraft players when they go to sleep at night. During this time, the tamed cat will sleep near the player, and upon waking, there is a certain percentage chance for the cat to have brought a gift near the bed block.

Keep in mind this mechanic will only trigger when players sleep in a bed at night, so sleeping during a thunderstorm or daytime won't cut it. Regardless, fans can receive the following items as a gift from cats after sleeping:

• Rabbit's feet, rabbit hide, string, rotten flesh, feathers, raw chicken - 16.13% chance
• Phantom membranes - 3.22% chance

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Breeding

Cats can breed with the right food items, much like other mobs (Image via Mojang)

Similarly to other animal mobs, cats are capable of breeding and producing offspring. This is accomplished after the critters have been tamed (when players can put them into Love Mode by feeding two cats raw cod or raw salmon). The mobs will converge and create a kitten as a result.

Like other mobs, cats who have bred a kitten will be placed on a five-minute cooldown before they can breed again. Players can also use raw cod/salmon to expedite the growth process of kittens by 10% per feeding.