You need raw fish and patience to tame an ocelot

Ocelots in Minecraft PC are wild cats that roam jungles and can be tamed into pets that follow you around. To tame one, you must feed it raw fish—either raw cod or raw salmon—one piece at a time until hearts appear above its head. Each fish has roughly a one-in-three chance of taming the ocelot, so expect to use between three and ten fish per cat. Once tamed, the ocelot becomes a cat with a collar and will sit when you right-click it, or follow you when you leave it unsitting.

The process looks straightforward but requires you to find the right biome, locate an ocelot before it runs away, and have enough fish in your inventory before you start. Ocelots are skittish and will flee if you approach too quickly, so the real challenge is getting close enough to feed them without spooking them.

Key Takeaways

  • Ocelots spawn only in jungle biomes and will run away if you move toward them directly, so crouch and approach from the side or behind.
  • Raw cod and raw salmon are the only foods that work; cooked fish will not tame an ocelot.
  • You need between three and ten raw fish per ocelot because each fish has roughly a 33 percent chance of succeeding.
  • Once tamed, an ocelot becomes a cat with a red collar and will follow you unless you right-click it to make it sit.
  • Cats scare away phantoms and creepers, making them useful for survival mode bases.

Finding ocelots in the jungle biome

Ocelots spawn only in jungle biomes—thick forests with tall trees, vines, and dense undergrowth. They are most common in the main jungle biome and the bamboo jungle variant. If you have not found a jungle yet, look for a biome with very tall trees and a dark canopy; jungles are usually warm and wet-looking compared to surrounding terrain.

Ocelots appear during the day and at night, but they are easiest to spot during daylight because the jungle is dark and shadowy. They are small, orange-and-white striped cats about the size of a player's head. When you see one, it will usually start walking away from you when ready—this is normal behavior and does not mean it is hostile.

Gathering raw fish before you hunt

Before you enter the jungle, collect raw fish from water sources. You can catch raw cod and raw salmon by fishing with a fishing rod in any water—oceans, rivers, lakes, or even rain-filled holes work. Cast your line and wait for the bobber to dip; reel in when it does. Each cast takes between five and thirty seconds, and roughly one in five catches will be fish rather than junk or treasure.

Alternatively, kill fish mobs directly. Cod and salmon swim in oceans and rivers; kill them with a sword or by hand and they drop raw fish. Collect at least ten to fifteen fish before heading to the jungle, because you may need several attempts and may encounter multiple ocelots. Store them in your inventory—they take up one slot each.

Approaching an ocelot without scaring it away

The hardest part of taming an ocelot is getting close enough to feed it. Ocelots run away when you sprint toward them or move directly at them. Instead, crouch by holding Shift and walk slowly toward the ocelot from the side or behind. Crouching makes you move slower and signals to the ocelot that you are not a threat.

If the ocelot starts running, stop moving and wait for it to calm down and resume walking. Then continue creeping toward it. You need to be within about two blocks of the ocelot to feed it, so get as close as you can while crouching. Once you are close enough, right-click on the ocelot with raw fish in your hand.

Feeding the ocelot and watching for success

Right-click the ocelot while holding raw fish in your main hand—not your off-hand. The ocelot will eat the fish and you will see a small animation. If the taming succeeds, red hearts will float up from the ocelot's head. If no hearts appear, the taming failed and you must feed it another fish. Repeat until hearts appear.

Each fish has roughly a 33 percent success rate, which means most ocelots require three to five fish, but some may need up to ten. Do not give up after one or two failed attempts. Once hearts appear, the ocelot is tamed and will have a red collar around its neck. It will no longer run away from you.

Managing your tamed cat after taming

A tamed ocelot becomes a cat and will follow you around unless you tell it to sit. Right-click the cat to toggle sitting mode; when sitting, it will stay in one place and not follow you. A sitting cat's tail points straight up. You can move a sitting cat by right-clicking it again to make it stand, then leading it where you want it to go.

Cats are useful in survival mode because they scare away phantoms—the flying mobs that attack you at night if you do not sleep—and creepers, which are the green explosive mobs. A cat in your base or near your bed will prevent these mobs from spawning nearby. You can also dye a cat's collar by right-clicking it with dye in your hand, changing the collar color from red to any color you want.

Common mistakes that prevent taming

The most common mistake is using cooked fish instead of raw fish. Cooked cod and cooked salmon do not work for taming; the ocelot will not eat them and nothing will happen when you right-click. Always check your inventory to confirm you are holding raw fish before you approach an ocelot.

The second mistake is sprinting or moving too fast toward the ocelot. If you run at it, it will flee and you will have to start over. Crouch and move slowly every time. The third mistake is giving up too early; if the first two fish do not tame the ocelot, keep trying. It is normal to need five or more fish per cat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I tame an ocelot with fish I caught with a fishing rod versus fish I killed from a fish mob?

Yes, both work identically. Raw cod and raw salmon from fishing rods and raw fish drops from mobs are the same item and have the same taming success rate. Use whichever source is faster for you.

What happens if I tame multiple ocelots?

You can tame as many ocelots as you want. Each one becomes a separate cat with its own collar and will follow you independently. You can organize them by sitting some and leaving others to follow, or by dyeing their collars different colors to tell them apart.

Do ocelots and cats do anything besides look nice and scare away mobs?

Cats do not attack mobs or help you fight. Their main purpose is to prevent phantoms and creepers from spawning nearby. They also sit on beds and chests if you leave them unsitting near those blocks, which is a cosmetic feature.

Can I breed two tamed cats together?

Yes. Right-click two tamed cats with raw fish in your hand and they will enter love mode, shown by red hearts. They will produce a kitten that is also tamed to you. The kitten grows into an adult cat over about twenty minutes.

What if I cannot find a jungle biome?

Use the /locate biome command if you are in a world where cheats are allowed. Type /locate biome minecraft:jungle and the game will tell you the coordinates of the nearest jungle. If cheats are off, explore outward from your spawn point in a spiral pattern, or use a map seed finder online to locate jungles in your world.