While just about everyone knows about the process of taming certain passive mobs, you can’t do that on just any animal you come across. Some particular mobs will still work alongside you, but you have to gain their trust through various means.
Getting a mob’s trust is not the same thing as taming it, although they can share similarities. These creatures will not despawn or run away from you if they trust you, but you can't directly control them like you would a wolf, cat, or horse. The list of mobs that you can get to trust you are:
- Allay: Allays trust you when you give them an item to go out and find. Whatever item they are holding, they will fly around in the nearby area looking for more of that item. After they pick up enough of that item, they will drop it off to the player that they trust or to a Note Block that has been played near them.
- Axolotl: To gain an axolotl’s trust, you just need to offer up a bucket of tropical fish. When the aquatic creature is on your side, it will help you fight underwater creatures and enemies, including drowned. During these fights, you will also gain the Restoration I effect from the axolotl. Be sure to help it out and watch for when it begins to play dead to recover health.
- Fox: Foxes that have spawned naturally in your overworld will not give their trust no matter what you do. Instead, you need to get two wild adult foxes to breed by sneaking up to them and feeding them glow berries or sweet berries. When the resulting baby fox spawns and grows to an adult, it won’t flee from you and will attack most mobs that deal damage to you.
- Ocelot: Ocelots will quickly flee from you unless you approach them slowly with raw cod or raw salmon. When they trust you, they simply do not despawn. While that seems like the bare minimum, their presence is good for keeping creepers and phantoms from attacking you when nearby.
These creatures don’t appear as frequently as wolves and horses, so be sure to keep these rules in mind and maybe have a lead ready to bring them home with you. Looking to feed your new friends? Here is a list of the foods they eat.