Minecraft 1.2 update adds cats, kittens and performance-improving map format

Block enthusiasts rejoice, Minecraft 1.2 is now available. At face value 1.2 is chock full of new blocky additions, but perhaps more importantly is a brand new map format named Anvil. Anvil was initially created to allow for more block types (Are their really that many blocks now?), but in addition makes a few technical changes that will help runtime performance. You can read up on the technical details associated with the Anvil map format here.

Now for the fun stuff: in-game additions! Here's a list provided by our friends at Mojang:

• New jungle biome
• Added ocelots
• Added cats
• Added iron golems
• New AI for mobs
• Tame wolves can have puppies
• Villagers will have children if there is room in their village
• New map height limit (256 instead of 128)
• New items and blocks
• Doors have been updated so that double-doors work better with redstone
• Added rare drops for mobs
• Many other minor tweaks and fixes

Yes, now you can venture into the vine covered jungle biome searching for the mysterious ocelot. If you're lucky enough to find one, stand still and hold out a roasted fish to attract it. If it likes you, it will approach, where you can feed it the fish to tame it! Poof, it turns into one of three varieties of cat -- tabby, Siamese or tuxedo. From there, if you're wondering where kittens come from, you should probably ask your parents.

Left unmentioned in the patch preview is a hint at an upcoming Minecraft patch. Desert wells will now randomly spawn in Minecraft worlds, and new sandstone blocks featuring what appears to be hieroglyphics are found in the game's code. Perhaps we can expect a desert dungeon or NPC village to be added sometime soon?

All in all another fun and interesting patch for Minecraft fans. If you'd like a look at some of the new additions in motion, check out this fancy 1.2 trailer: