Rats

Spawning

Rats do not spawn in the wild like typical animals. Instead, they appear in previously inhabited villages that have become abandoned.

Conditions: A village must have no remaining villagers but must still contain beds.
Group Size: They spawn in small groups of up to 5 if a player is nearby.
Structure Note: This mechanic only applies to villages that were once normal and became empty; it does not apply to the default 'Abandoned/Zombie Village' structures generated at world creation.

Stats and Combat

Rats behave similarly to wolves, attacking targets that the player strikes or those that harm the player.

Stat	Value
Health	8 Points (4 Hearts)
Attack Damage	1 Point
Fall Damage	Starts at 15 blocks
Special Combat	Ignores invulnerability ticks
Environmental	Immune to Cacti and Berry Bushes
Oxygen	Breathes 5x longer than players

Because rats ignore invulnerability ticks, a large group (mischief) can deal massive DPS by hitting a target simultaneously without being blocked by the standard damage cooldown.

Taming and Behavior

Rats can be tamed using any food item. The higher the saturation/quality of the food, the higher the chance of successful taming. Once tamed, they can be ordered to sit or follow.

Cat Distraction: If a following rat sees a cat, it will temporarily stop following to chase the cat away.
Item Collection: Rats automatically pick up item stacks on the floor. Tamed rats will bring these items back to their owner.
Self-Healing: If a rat is injured and holding food, it will consume it to restore health (based on the food's saturation) and gain any associated status effects.
Potion Consumption: Rats will drink any potion they find on the ground. They convert saturation into a Regeneration effect and gain the potion's standard effects.