Wandering through a dense Minecraft jungle, you might catch a flash of spotted fur darting behind a vine-covered tree before it vanishes. Those are ocelots, skittish passive mobs that can become some of your most useful allies if you know how to approach them right. If you’ve ever wondered how do you train an ocelot in Minecraft, you’re not alone: most new players scare them off within seconds by moving too fast or bringing the wrong items. This guide breaks down every step you need to follow to earn a loyal cat companion without the frustrating trial and error.
Prep Work You Need Before Training an Ocelot
You can’t just sprint into a jungle and expect an ocelot to trust you immediately. A little prep goes a long way to cut down on wait time and avoid wasting resources. Ocelots only spawn in jungle biomes, so you won't find them in forests, deserts or tundras, so mark your nearest jungle on your map before you head out. If you’re new to learning how do you train an ocelot in Minecraft, bringing extra fish will save you a trip back to your base if your first few attempts fail. You’ll also need to stock up on the right bait first.
The only items ocelots will accept for taming are raw cod or raw salmon. Cooked fish, pufferfish, and tropical fish won’t work, no matter how many you offer. Bring at least 5 to 10 pieces with you, as taming success is random, and you might go through a few before the ocelot trusts you. Turn off auto-jump if you have it enabled, too: accidental jumps near ocelots will scare them off before they even get close to you. Make sure the area around you is clear of hostile mobs too, as ocelots will run from zombies, skeletons, and creepers before they’ll approach a player.
Step-by-Step Process for How Do You Train an Ocelot in Minecraft
Once you spot an ocelot in the jungle, stop moving immediately, and stay at least 10 blocks away from it. Equip your raw fish in your main hand, and keep your camera still – don’t swing your view around to look at other things. Ocelots are extremely skittish, and any sudden movement will make them run into the underbrush before you get a chance to interact with them. Don't click or move your mouse abruptly while you wait, even to adjust your inventory, as that small movement can be enough to scare them off.
Wait for the ocelot to approach you on its own. It will move slowly, stopping every few blocks to check if you’re a threat, so be patient. When it gets within 2 blocks of you, gently right-click to offer it a piece of raw fish. If it works, you’ll see small red hearts appear around the ocelot. If not, offer another piece until the hearts stay, and the ocelot transforms into a tamed cat with a colored collar around its neck. You can right-click the cat to make it sit or stand whenever you want.
There are a few key things to avoid while you wait for the ocelot to approach, to make sure you don’t waste your bait:
- Don't run or sprint toward the ocelot, as they perceive fast movement as a threat and will run in the opposite direction
- Don't swing your fist or other items at nearby blocks while the ocelot is approaching, as loud noises will startle them
- Don't try to train an ocelot during a rainstorm, as they will hide under tree canopies and refuse to approach any players
Key Perks of a Tamed Ocelot (Cat) for Your Survival World
Training an ocelot isn’t just a fun side task – tamed cats are some of the most useful companions you can have in a survival world, especially if you’re still building up your base defenses. Creepers will actively avoid areas within 6 blocks of your tamed cat, so keeping a few cats around your base entrance or storage area will eliminate the risk of random creeper explosions blowing up your hard work. That perk alone makes the time spent training ocelots worth it for most players.
Cats also keep phantoms away, so if you’ve been staying up late mining or building, you won’t have to worry about those flying mobs swooping down to attack you while your cat is nearby. When you sleep in a bed next to a tamed cat, it will often leave you a small gift when you wake up, including string, rabbit’s feet, feathers, or even raw chicken. Tamed cats are also immune to fall damage, so you don’t have to panic if they jump off a high cliff while you’re exploring.
Common Mistakes New Players Make When Training Ocelots
Even if you follow the steps closely, it’s easy to make small mistakes that ruin your chance of taming an ocelot on your first try. The most common mistake is using cooked fish instead of raw cod or salmon. A lot of new players assume any fish works, but cooked fish has no effect on ocelots, and they’ll just ignore you if you offer it. Trying to tame baby ocelots is another common error: baby ocelots can’t be tamed, so you’ll have to wait 20 in-game minutes for them to grow into adults before you can start the process.
If an ocelot runs away from you, don’t chase it. Chasing will just make it run further, and it won’t come back until you stay still for several minutes. Never hit an ocelot, even by accident – if you strike one, all ocelots within a 16 block radius will run away, and they won’t approach you for the rest of the in-game day. If you’re playing on a multiplayer server, make sure other players don’t run near the ocelot while you’re training it, as their fast movement can also scare it off.
Taming an ocelot takes a little patience, but the payoff is well worth the few minutes of waiting for the skittish mob to trust you. Once you have a tamed cat, you’ll never have to worry about random creeper explosions ruining your base, or phantoms attacking you while you’re out exploring after dark. Next time you head out to explore a jungle biome, pack extra raw fish and take it slow, and you’ll be able to show all your friends exactly how do you train an ocelot in Minecraft without any missteps. I keep three tamed cats at my base at all times, and I haven’t had a creeper break through my walls in over six months of playtime.