Pets and companions in Minecraft are more than just cute additions to your base, they offer real survival advantages like combat support, item collection, transportation, and base defense. With the latest versions (Java 1.21.11 and Bedrock 1.21.132, plus 26.x snapshots), the "First Drop 2026" (baby mobs update) brings adorable new baby models and sounds for wolves, cats, pigs, chickens, and more. You can now craft nametags with 4 paper and 1 metal nugget to name any mob, and use golden dandelions to create "forever babies" that never grow up.
Crafting and Using Golden Dandelions
- Recipe: Place 1 dandelion in the center of the crafting table, surround it with 8 gold nuggets.
- Usage: Feed to any baby animal mob to pause growth (lasts 20 minutes per feed; repeat for permanent baby state). Feed again to resume aging. Also available from wandering traders for 2 emeralds.
This pairs perfectly with pets, letting you keep fluffy wolf pups or tiny kittens forever.
Top Pets Ranked by Utility
Here's a ranked list based on combat prowess, daily utility, transport, and defense. Rankings prioritize vanilla survival (no mods/marketplace). All can be made into forever babies for extra cuteness.
| Rank | Pet | How to Tame/Acquire | Key Benefits | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cat | Feed raw cod or salmon to stray cats (33% chance per fish, hearts appear on success). 14 breeds via breeding. | Scares creepers (stay 12 blocks away) and phantoms; brings gifts like string/rabbit's foot when you sleep. Best base defender. | No combat; can attack chickens. |
| 2 | Wolf (Dog) | Feed bones to wild wolves (up to 1/3 chance per bone). Breed with meat. Armor since 1.20.5. | Attacks nearby hostiles with you (stronger in packs); wear armor (wolf armor from armadillo scutes, dyeable). Pack leader bonus. | Angry wolves attack anything; eat rotten flesh. |
| 3 | Allay | Give any item (use key) to bind it to you; rescue from pillager outposts/woodland mansions. Duplicate with amethyst shard near jukebox. | Flies around collecting matching dropped items (up to 64 stack), delivers to you or note block. Great for farms/mines. Immune to player swords. | Doesn't pick up every item type; despawns if too far. |
| 4 | Axolotl | Breed with tropical fish buckets in lush caves. Blue variant rare (1/1200). | Aquatic combat: attacks drowned, guardians; grants player regen + removes mining fatigue when you kill their target. Plays dead to heal. | Land-bound (drowns out of water); no following. |
| 5 | Camel | Naturally rideable; saddle to control. Found in deserts. | Fast dash (12 blocks), high jumps over fences, protects from zombies (height). Seats 2 players. | Slow normal speed; desert-only spawn. |
| 6 | Llama | Right-click empty hand to tame. Add chest (15 slots) or carpet. Lead caravans (up to 10). | Mobile storage caravan; spits on attackers (damage + slowness). Trader llamas from wandering traders. | Spit hurts you too; strength varies (1-5 chests). |
| 7 | Parrot | Feed seeds (any type). Fly to shoulder (right-click). 5 colors. | Mimics mob sounds (warns of danger like creepers); perches on shoulder. | Eats chocolate/cookies (dies); flies away if fed wrong. |
| 8 | Fox | Breed 2 adults with sweet/glow berries; baby trusts you. | Defends you from mobs; picks up/holds items (emeralds, feathers); hunts chickens/rabbits. Cute sleep/pounce behaviors. | Steals items; flees from non-trusted players. |
Tips for Pet Owners
- Breeding: Most pets breed with their food (meat for wolves/cats, hay bales for horses/llamas/camels).
- 2026 Updates: Baby wolves/cats now have unique squeaky sounds and floofier models. Spawn eggs create babies directly.
- Pack Strategy: 4-6 wolves + 2 cats for base raids; Allays for auto-farms; camel/llama trains for moving bases.
- Forever Babies Example: Breed a wolf pup, feed golden dandelion for eternal fluffiness.