Cliff has many allies he can rely on during his journey through the lands of Pywell in Crimson Desert, but none of them compare to the usefulness of the stray cats and dogs scattered throughout Pywell. While these animals won’t be cutting down enemies or taking boss hits with you, they more than make up for it in other ways, saving you a lot of time after each battle. However, to get a pet, you’ll need a bit of patience and the right treats to speed up the process.
Here’s everything you need to know about finding, taming, and making the most of your animal companions in Crimson Desert.
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How to Tame Cats and Dogs
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To get a cat or dog as a pet in Crimson Desert, you need to gradually tame them by earning their trust through feeding and petting.
Each cat and dog you encounter has a trust gauge that starts at zero and must reach 100 before you can take the animal in. As for the trust you build through petting and feeding, both actions have daily limits that reset at midnight in-game time, so patience is your best friend here.
The first animals you’re likely to encounter are the strays roaming the streets of Ernell, the town you start the game in. This makes it a convenient place to start building a connection with a potential companion, even if you’re still early in your Pywell journey.
Petting
Petting an animal in Crimson Desertgives +5 trust per interaction. You can do this up to five times a day, giving you a maximum of +25 trust.
The specific method differs slightly depending on the animal:
Dogs: Simply approach them and hold the on-screen prompt with the button.
Cats: You’ll need to hold the prompt with the button to pick up the cat first, then press the button to pet it once it’s in your arms.
The daily limit of 25 points means you won’t be able to tame an animal just by petting it in one day, so it’s worth combining it with feeding.
Feeding
Dropping food on the ground near an animal is the fastest way to earn their trust and get a new pet in the game.
To feed a pet in Crimson Desert, open your inventory and drop a food item; the animal should come over and eat it after a moment.
You can only feed a pet up to three times a day, so choose your food wisely.
However, not all food is created equal. Each individual animal has a favorite treat that gives +35 trust per feeding — enough to potentially tame a dog in one day if you feed it the right food three times and also exhaust the petting limit.
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Regular food items give less trust (+10 per item), but they’re easier to come by.
Starting with cats and moving on to dogs, here’s a detailed list of all the pets currently in Crimson Desert, along with the best places to find them and their favorite food:
Cats
Here’s a list of all the cats, their favorite food, and the best places to find them:
Best place to find: Desert region (especially rare spawn, only 2-3 can appear in one place at a time).
Kitten
Favorite food: Fish
Best place to find: Farlington Farm in Demensis.
Fat cat
Favorite food: Salmon
Best place to find: Port Dalezia.
Long-haired cat
Favorite food: Mackerel
Best place to find: Pororin and Florindale.
Short-haired cat
Favorite food: Egg
Best place to find: Florindale and outside the tavern in Ernell.
Short-haired kitten
Favorite food: Small minnow
Best place to find: Pororin village.
Thin cat
Favorite food: Pond loach
Best place to find: Southern Cargan cisterns.
Keep in mind that most of these dog and cat breeds can be found in all regions of Pywell, but the places listed in each entry are where we found them the fastest and most easily.
Dogs
Here’s a list of all the dogs, their favorite food, and the best places to find them:
Beagle
Favorite food: Sweet potato
Best place to find: Near the guard post in Ernell.
Fighting dog
Favorite food: Lean bird meat
Best place to find: Villages near Demensis.
Fighting dog puppy
Favorite food: Tender meat
Best place to find: Embernest signal tower.
Bulldog
Favorite food: Cheese
Best place to find: Ernell, near the wanted board.
Greyhound
Favorite food: Milk
Best place to find: Near the guard post in Ernell.
Husky
Favorite food: Bird meat
Best place to find: Ernell.
Chindo
Favorite food: Sweet potato
Best place to find: Eastern/central Ernell.
Prick-eared bulldog
Favorite food: Egg
Best place to find: Ernell streets.
Saluki
Favorite food: Large meat chunk
Best place to find: Central Ernell.
Shepherd
Favorite food: Bird meat
Best place to find: Northern Ernell.
If you want to make the most of your daily trust gain, approach the animal around 10 PM in-game time. Pet and feed it to exhaust your daily limit, then wait until midnight.
Since the counters reset at midnight, this allows you to immediately start earning trust again without wasting a whole in-game day. This is the fastest way to go from zero to 100 trust without spending a fortune on large meat chunks.
Be careful when throwing food in villages or near them, as other animals or even NPCs might come over and steal it before your target does.
Adopting a Pet
Once an animal’s trust reaches 100, a new prompt will appear. Hold the select button and choose the “Adopt” option to register the animal as your companion — and you’ll officially have a pet in Crimson Desert.
You can keep up to 30 pets, although only one can be active and follow you at any given time.
Any pets you’re not currently using can be found in the Gray Wolf’s Den. If you want to completely remove a pet from your roster, you can cancel its registration through the menu; just keep in mind that this action is irreversible.
It’s also worth noting that the Gray Wolf faction quest “New Teeth of the Gray Wolf”, available from Chapter 4, will take you through the process of taming a stray dog as part of a short tutorial with your mercenary Naira.
If you need an introductory guide to the system, this is the perfect place to get it.
While they won’t be able to take down tough enemies on their own, having a pet companion in Crimson Desert gives you one major advantage in combat: loot collection.
For example, while Cliff is busy slashing away and managing multiple opponents at once, your active pet will run around the battlefield and automatically collect items from the bodies of defeated enemies.
However, there’s one caveat to keep in mind. Pets currently have no loot filter, which means they’ll pick up everything they can reach — including useful materials and junk. Because of this, you’ll need to keep a closer eye on your inventory and likely clean it out more often.
Pets aren’t made for combat, so don’t expect them to attack enemies or draw aggro. However, they can still take damage during fights.
If your pet takes damage while enemies are still around, it won’t be able to collect loot properly. You’ll need to clear the area first, then use Healing to restore its health before it can resume collecting loot.
Dressing Up Your Pet
Beyond the useful loot collection feature, pets in Crimson Desert can also be dressed up in cosmetic gear for your amusement.
Pet armor is available for purchase in two specific shops in Pororin: one is located inside Pororin’s Forest Village (which you need to complete the “Inaccessible Village” quest to enter), and the other is in the southeast part of Demensis.
The selection includes hats, costumes, and underwear that give no in-game benefits — they’re purely for looking cute in Photo Mode and during loot collection.
