How to Tame a Wolf, a Cat and a Horse in Minecraft
By the CrazyArcade team ·
A pet changes how a Minecraft world feels. A wolf fights beside you, a cat keeps creepers away from the house, and a horse turns a ten-minute walk into a two-minute ride. They are also easy to lose: wolves run into lava, cats wander off, and horses get left in a field you can never find again.
This guide covers how to tame each of the three, what to feed them, and how to keep them safe. Most of it works the same in Java and Bedrock, and the few differences are pointed out.
Wolves: bring bones
Wolves live in forests, taigas and some savanna and badlands areas, usually in small packs. Hold out a bone and use it on a wolf. Each bone has about a one in three chance to work, so bring at least five or six. When it works, hearts appear and the wolf gets a red collar.
Skeletons are the easy source of bones. Never hit a wild wolf by accident, because the whole pack turns on you.
Looking after your wolf
A tamed wolf has much more health than a wild one, 40 points against 8, and you heal it by feeding it meat. Its tail shows its health: the lower it droops, the more it needs food. Use the wolf to make it sit or stand. A sitting wolf stays put, which is the safest way to leave it at home. In Java Edition, a newly tamed wolf sits straight away.
If you play a version with wolf armour, it is worth making. It takes six armadillo scutes, which you get by brushing armadillos in warm biomes, and it soaks up damage that would otherwise hit the wolf.
Cats: patience and raw fish
Stray cats spawn in villages, and black cats can be found at swamp huts. Taming one needs raw cod or raw salmon and a bit of patience. Hold the fish, move slowly and then stand still: the cat comes to you on its own if you do not chase it. Feed it when it is close. Like wolves, each fish has about a one in three chance to work.
A tamed cat is more than decoration. Creepers avoid cats, so a couple of cats near your door keeps explosions off your house, and cats also scare away phantoms. If you sleep in a bed with your cat nearby, you will sometimes wake up to a small gift beside you.
Horses: ride until it gives in
Horses live in plains and savannas. You do not need any item to tame one. Use the horse with an empty hand to climb on, and it will throw you off the first few times. Keep climbing back on. Each attempt makes it a little more willing, and when hearts appear, it is yours.
Feeding helps. Sugar, wheat, apples and carrots each make the horse a little more willing, a golden carrot more so, and a golden apple the most. Different horses have different speed, jump and health, so it is worth taming a few and keeping the best.
Riding your horse
A tamed horse still needs a saddle before you can steer it. Since the 1.21.6 update you can craft one from three leather and an iron ingot. On older versions you have to find saddles in chests in dungeons, villages, temples and other structures, or buy one from a leatherworker villager. Horse armour in leather, iron, gold or diamond is optional but helps a lot on longer trips.
To breed horses, feed two tamed adults a golden apple or golden carrot each. A horse bred with a donkey gives a mule, which cannot have foals of its own.
Do not lose your pets
Wolves and cats that are following you will teleport to you when you get too far ahead, but a sitting pet stays exactly where you left it. Make them sit at home before a dangerous trip, especially to the Nether. Horses never follow on their own. Tie one to a fence with a lead, or build a small stable with a roof so it does not wander.
Name tags help too. Once you have a few horses, a name above each one makes it much easier to pick out your fastest one in a crowded stable.
NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT GUIDE. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Synergies AB. This fan guide was written by the CrazyArcade team; CrazyArcade does not host or offer the game.