By using certain food items on animal mobs in Minecraft, players can tame these animals and have them follow the player on their adventures.
Some animals suffice as companions, but others can provide benefits that help the player somehow. These benefits vary based on the mob in question, but all are helpful in some regard. Some animal mobs separate themselves as better pets in certain ways, and it’s worth noting the best pets for players to keep nearby.
1. Wolves
Wolves are great companions to keep around in Minecraft. They have many uses and will commonly save the players’ lives due to their extreme loyalty.
Wolves are adorable and provide company to the many solo players out there. They are completely loyal to their master and can easily be tamed by giving them bones. These animals are especially useful in packs, where they can gang up on multiple mobs and make quick work of them.
You will know a wolf is tamed after it receives a red collar around its neck. You can dye this collar a different color by right-clicking on the wolf while holding a dye in your hand. A tamed wolf will attack any mob its owner attacks, including players, except for creepers.
Tamed wolves whine when they have low health. You can determine your wolf’s health by the position of its tail: the higher the tail, the greater the health. You can heal a tamed wolf by feeding it any meat other than fish.
While a single wolf will provide much support, multiple wolves are highly recommended. When a pack is utilized, players can sit back while it takes care of any mob that has the misfortune of attacking the player. Wolves will also chase those pesky skeletons away, preventing them from shooting at gamers.
There’s no limit to the number of wolves players can tame, so it is possible to have an entire army of wolves protecting a player. However, this can be tricky, as wolves that accidentally attack each other can fight.
2. Cats
Cats are the perfect pets in Minecraft for some players who are cat lovers, and they can be easily tamed by giving them raw cod or raw salmon. Cats quickly run away, so it is important to stand still when feeding them.
Cats will follow their owners and are useful to have around because creepers dislike going near them. Cats are considered guardian spirits for players because many hostile mobs fear them.
Phantoms are flying, hostile undead mobs that spawn when the player has not died or slept for more than three days. Phantoms fear cats and will not attack the player when a cat is near them.
The cat offers many benefits as a pet in Minecraft. It can protect the player against creepers and phantoms in the game. Creepers will never come within six blocks of a cat, while phantoms will not be within 16 blocks of the pet mob.
When it joins the player in a bed, a tamed cat has a 70% chance of gifting a player different mob drops. Cats in Minecraft are beneficial for their strange but effective defensive properties, besides being adorable pets.
3. Parrots
Parrots are beautiful and colorful birds perfect for bringing color to the players’ virtual worlds. Parrots can be tamed by feeding them seeds.
Once it is tamed, it will follow its owner around. Walking into a tamed parrot will cause it to perch on a player’s shoulder. Parrots can be helpful despite being unable to fight, as they can imitate the sounds of nearby mobs.
A parrot’s ability to keep players aware of nearby enemies is probably its strongest asset. By doing so, they can alert their masters about the potential presence of enemies. It should be noted that these helpful birds only recreate the sounds of mobs that are 20 blocks away or closer.
If a hostile mob is tailing the player or if there is one in the area, the audio cue from a parrot can fill players in that they aren’t as safe as they may think. However, be careful what you feed parrots because giving them a cookie will kill them.
4. Horses
Horses are impressive creatures that can be utilized by the player and have both mobility and speed. Horses can be tamed by repeatedly attempting to ride them until they no longer want to throw you off, and hearts appear around them.
A horse can travel up to 14 blocks a second, which is over triple the speed of the player’s walking speed. Traveling on horseback also comes with the benefit of losing fewer hunger points, and you do not have to jump over one high block as horses will simply canter over them.
Horses offer many benefits to a player looking to travel long distances. Equipping a saddle on these animals will enable you to control the animal’s direction while riding it.
You can equip horses with armor for additional protection against damage. Aside from horses, you can equip donkeys and mules with a chest for additional storage space.
5. Llamas
Llamas are unique creatures that offer players practicality and convenience. It is similar to horses, donkeys, and mules. Repeated attempts at riding tame llamas, but it is hard to ride them.
Since players cannot ride llamas, they can only move them using leads. Moving a large group of llamas using leads might be costly. Llamas have an extraordinary ability to follow other llamas and form a caravan. A caravan in Minecraft has up to nine llamas.
Players can use lead on one llama, and other llamas will start following that llama. This way, players can save some leads and act like wandering traders on their friend’s servers. Llamas are cute mobs that do not attack unless provoked by a player or other creatures in Minecraft.
Players cannot control Llamas because they can not be saddled. However, a lead can be attached to have it follow a player. You can also equip llamas with a storage chest.
