FAQ & Settings

Installing

Minecraft: 26.3
Fabric: Fabric Loader and Fabric API
NeoForge: NeoForge 26.3

Get it from the download page. For multiplayer, install it on the server and on every client.

Works with other mods

Jade: looking at a pet shows its owner (for animals Jade doesn't already show one for), its order and what it's doing, and its needs. Urgent needs are red. Everyone sees this, not only the owner. You can switch it off in Jade's settings (Vanilla Pets: pet status).
JEI: all recipes show up, and the bowls, troughs, pet bed, litter box, cat litter, pee pad, cat tree and bird perch have an info page saying what they're for.
Iris shaders: the status panel, alert bubbles and paw markers don't cast shadows.

None of these are needed. Vanilla Pets works the same without them.

Settings

Your own display settings are in game: press the ⚙ gear button in the pet screen to open Vanilla Pets Settings. You can also open it with the Config button in NeoForge's Mods list, or from Mod Menu on Fabric. It switches the needs panel, alert bubbles, paw markers and the whistle glow on and off, and sets their ranges. Changes are saved right away. The J key (rebindable under Controls → Vanilla Pets) cycles the display too. See Whistle & Orders.

Gameplay settings live in config/vanillapets-common.json (on the server for multiplayer, or in your game folder for singleplayer). Edit the file, then run /vanillapets reload to apply the changes without a restart.

{
  "hungerDrain": 1.0,              // how fast each need drains: 0.5 = half as fast, 0 = never (0 to 10)
  "thirstDrain": 1.0,
  "hygieneDrain": 1.0,
  "energyDrain": 1.0,
  "bladderFill": 1.0,
  "moodDrain": 1.0,
  "drainWhileOwnerOffline": true,  // false: needs pause while the owner is offline
  "accidents": true,               // false: no messes on the floor
  "illness": true,                 // false: neglected pets never fall ill
  "neglectSlowness": true,         // starving or exhausted pets are slowed down
  "searchRange": 16,               // how far pets look for bowls, troughs, boxes and beds (4 to 48)
  "homeRadius": 12                 // how far an idle pet roams from its home (4 to 64)
}

The comments above are only explanations: the real file is plain JSON without them. Values out of range are clamped.

The in-game Settings screen saves to config/vanillapets-client.json on each player's game:

{
  "showPanel": true,        // the needs panel over the pet you look at
  "showAlerts": true,       // alert bubbles over pets with an urgent need
  "panelRange": 8.0,
  "alertRange": 16.0,
  "showMarkers": true,      // paw markers over your pets, through walls
  "markerRange": 48.0,
  "glowWithWhistle": true   // your pets glow gold while you hold the whistle
}

Commands

Command	What it does	Who can use it
`/vanillapets list`	Lists your pets in loaded areas: name, order, position and dimension.	Everyone
`/vanillapets list <player>`	Lists another player's pets.	Operators
`/vanillapets release <pets>`	Sets the pets free (for example `@e[type=cat,distance=..5]`).	Everyone, for their own pets. Operators, for anyone's.
`/vanillapets transfer <pets> <player>`	Gives the pets to another player. They get a message.	Everyone, for their own pets. Operators, for anyone's.
`/vanillapets reload`	Reloads `config/vanillapets-common.json`.	Operators

You don't need any commands to play.

My idle pet keeps walking back to the same place.

Idle pets stay within 12 blocks of their home, so their bowls and bed stay in reach. Home is where you set them to Idle, where you let them off a lead, or their rest spot. To move house, walk them over on a lead, or set them to Idle again at the new place.

My wolf just stands there while I'm fighting.

A wolf set to Idle comes to help when you're hit or hit something within 16 blocks of it. Set it to Follow to keep it at your side.

Common questions

My pet is sneezing and slow.

It's ill from being left with an empty need for too long. Use a First Aid Kit on it. See Illness.

How do I teach my pet tricks?

Look after it well and its loyalty grows. Dogs, cats, ocelots, foxes and parrots learn their first trick at loyalty 25. Press Trick in the pet screen. See Tricks.

I can't find one of my pets.

Open the Pet Journal with the ☰ button in the pet screen. It shows where each of your pets is, or where it was last seen.

Do my pets come with me to the Nether?

Pets on Follow within 16 blocks and pets on your lead do. Pets on Idle or Stay wait at home. See Portals.

My cat (or dog) won't eat or drink.

House pets (cats, ocelots, dogs, foxes, parrots) only use bowls or your hand, and farm animals and horses only troughs. Make sure there's a filled one within about 16 blocks, that the pet can walk to it, and that it isn't set to Stay or Go There.

My dog keeps sitting by the door and whining.

It needs to go out. Open the door, put down a Pee Pad inside, or take it for a walk.

There's a mess on my floor!

A pet couldn't find a clean litter box, a pee pad or a way outside in time. Break the mess to clean it up, and check the litter box isn't full or empty.

My pet doesn't sleep in its bed.

Only cats, ocelots, dogs, foxes and rabbits use pet beds, and parrots use perches. Bigger animals lie down where they are. To choose where a particular pet sleeps, set a Rest Spot with the whistle. Each animal's page says where it sleeps.

How do I give up a pet?

Sneak and use a Pet Collar on it. You're asked to confirm: do it again within 5 seconds and it's set free. You get the collar back. A pet tamed the vanilla way is untamed too. /vanillapets release does the same.

Can I give a pet to a friend?

Yes: /vanillapets transfer <pets> <player>. It becomes theirs, as if they had tamed or adopted it. Its rest spot is cleared.

Will my hoglin attack me?

Not once it's your pet. Pets never attack their owner. A wild hoglin is still hostile while you go to collar it.

Does it change how animals look?

No. The vanilla models and textures are untouched, so resource packs still work. The mod only poses the existing parts (lying down, eating, wagging).

Can I order other people's pets?

No. Each pet has one owner, and only the owner sees its status and can give it orders.

Does it work on servers?

Yes, it's built for both. Install it on the server and every client. Multiplayer is still getting extra testing, so please report anything odd.

Found a bug or have an idea?

Let us know on the download page, with your Minecraft version, loader and what happened.