Overview#
Simply Cats is a realistic animal mod designed to overhaul the feline experience in Minecraft. Moving away from the basic vanilla cat skins, this mod introduces a complex genetic system that allows for thousands of unique coat patterns, eye colors, and physical traits. Cats in this mod behave more like real animals: they do not follow you automatically, they have distinct heat cycles, and they require proper care through items like litter boxes and food bowls.
Key Features
- Genetic Variety: Thousands of combinations including solid colors, tabbies, tortoiseshells, calicos, and albinos.
- Adoption System: Find Pet Shelters in villages to adopt cats and dogs using certificates.
- Realistic Breeding: Females experience heat cycles (estrus) and pregnancies with variable litter sizes.
- Interactive Items: Use laser pointers, treat bags, and pet carriers to manage your feline friends.
- Furniture & Decor: Functional litter boxes, cat trees, scratching posts, and colored bowls.
Getting Started#
To begin your journey as a cat owner, your first priority is crafting Pet Carriers. Unlike vanilla cats, Simply Cats do not follow you when tamed. You must physically transport them using carriers.
- Craft Carriers: You will need several, as each carrier holds only one pet.
- Find a Village: Look for the Pet Shelter, a new structure that spawns in most villages.
- Meet the Shelter Worker: This villager wears a yellow smock with a golden paw print. Trade raw fish or bones to unlock higher-tier trades, including carriers and sterilization potions.
- Adopt: Use an Adoption Certificate (crafted with paper and ink) on the cats or dogs found inside the shelter. Note that shelter pets are always spayed or neutered and cannot breed.
Mobs#
The Cat
Simply Cats are the core of the mod. They possess 10 hearts (20 HP) and do not take fall damage.
- Behavior: They wander around their "Home Point." They will sleep on beds with players, choosing from four unique poses. They also provide "Morning Gifts" if they sleep through the night with their owner.
- Combat: Cats will naturally avoid Creepers, and Witches are pacified when near them. They have a configurable attack AI to hunt small prey.
- Drops: Cats do not drop any items upon death to discourage harming them.
Shelter Worker (Villager)
A unique villager profession found in Pet Shelters.
| Trade Level | Items Offered |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Raw Fish, Bones, Catnip Seeds |
| Level 2 | Pet Carriers (Cat/Dog), Sterilization Potions, Catnip |
Genetics and Breeding#
The mod features a deep genetic system. Every cat has a unique DNA profile that determines its appearance.
Coat Colors & Patterns
- Base Colors: Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Cinnamon, Fawn, Red, Cream.
- Patterns: Tabby (Classic, Mackerel, Spotted, Ticked), Tortoiseshell, Calico, Pointed (Siamese-style), and Smoke/Silver.
- Special Traits: White spotting (from small patches to entirely white) and Albinism (Blue-eyed or Red-eyed).
Breeding Mechanics
Breeding is not manual; it occurs naturally if requirements are met.
- Heat Cycle (Estrus): Females go into heat periodically (indicated by heart particles). This is the only time they can mate.
- Pregnancy: Lasts approximately 4 Minecraft days. You can use a Bone on a pregnant cat to see the expected litter size (1-6 kittens).
- Kittens: Inherit traits from both parents. They take several days to mature into adults.
- Speeding Up: Use Blaze Powder on a cat to instantly advance their heat timer, pregnancy, or kitten growth stage.
Sterilization
To prevent overpopulation, cats can be spayed (females) or neutered (males) using a Sterilization Potion. This process is irreversible.
Items#
Essential Tools
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Pet Carrier | Used to pick up and release cats/dogs. Full carriers are consumed upon release if bought from villagers. |
| Adoption Certificate | Used to tame unowned cats/dogs found in shelters. |
| Release Certificate | Used to untame a pet, making it a stray again. |
| Cat Book | Sneak-right-click a cat to record its name, sex, and genetic phenotype. |
| Treat Bag | Shake to call all cats within 128 blocks. Sneak-right-click a cat to set its Home Point. |
| Laser Pointer | Emits redstone particles that cats will chase. |
Consumables
- Catnip Seeds: Plant on tilled soil to grow Catnip crops.
- Catnip: Used in crafting the Cat Book and Sterilization Potions.
- Sterilization Potion: Used to permanently prevent a cat from breeding.
Blocks#
Furniture
- Litter Box: Available in 16 colors. Must be filled with a sand block. It becomes "dirty" over time and must be cleaned with a bone or fresh sand.
- Cat Tree: A decorative climbing structure for cats to rest on.
- Food & Water Bowls: Available in 16 colors. Can be filled with water buckets/bottles or various fish types.
- Scratching Post: Crafted using various wood planks; provides a place for cats to sharpen their claws.
Recipes#
| Result | Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Pet Carrier | 4 Iron Ingots + 4 Terracotta + 1 Iron Bar |
| Adoption Certificate | 1 Paper + 1 Ink Sac |
| Release Certificate | 1 Adoption Certificate (Shapeless) |
| Litter Box | 7 Wood Slabs + 1 Sand |
| Cat Book | 1 Book + 1 Catnip |
| Treat Bag | 3 Leather + 1 Cooked Cod |
| Laser Pointer | 2 Iron Ingots + 1 Redstone Torch + 1 Glass Pane |
Configuration & Commands#
Commands
/summon simplycats:cat: Note that summoning a cat without NBT data will result in an invisible entity. It is recommended to use the Cat Book or spawn eggs for specific traits.
Configuration Options
Found in the simplycats-common.toml file:
- Wander Radius: Set how far cats can roam from their home point (Default: 32 blocks).
- Breeding Timers: Adjust the length of heat cycles and pregnancies.
- Vanilla Replacement: Option to automatically replace vanilla cat spawns with Simply Cats.
- Prey List: Define which entities cats are allowed to hunt (e.g., chickens, rabbits, mice).
Gallery#
