Troubleshooting: Why Your Pat Is Not Working

Check the Basics First

If no hand animation appears above the mob, run through these in order:

• Are you crouching? The pat requires the crouch key to be held at the moment you right-click. Release it too early and the pat will not fire.
• Are you close enough? You need to be within normal interaction range. Step right up to the mob.
• Is your crosshair on the mob? If you are aiming at a block, fence, or the ground, the click goes there instead.
• Is it actually a living mob? Armor stands, boats, and item frames cannot be patted.

If It Still Fails

• Check your keybinds. If crouch or right-click has been rebound, use your actual bound keys. A common cause is a mod or resource pack that changes default controls.
• Try an empty hand. Some mobs react to held items before the pat check runs. An empty hand removes that conflict.
• Test on a simple mob. Try a cow or pig in an open area with nothing else nearby. If that works, the issue is environmental — usually a block or another entity in the way.
• Reload the world. Occasionally an entity's state can get stuck; leaving and re-entering the world refreshes it.

Work through these one at a time and you will almost always find the cause.