Illustration
Cat's Meow
Nepeta 'Cat's Meow'
Cat's Meow blooms from June through September.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Cat's Meow
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Expect it to reach about 20 in tall and 24 in wide at maturity, in roughly 2 years (a house reading).
Pets
- No toxic listing found for dogs in the sources we check.
- Not yet checked for cats.
Lists differ and none is complete. If a pet eats a plant and seems unwell, call a veterinarian or a pet poison helpline.
What was checked
Nine facts were checked against named botanical sources, each recorded beside the sources that carried it: mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, the trait tags, and years to mature size, which rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one and is marked so. Soil, diseases, pests, toxicity and the plant's own names have not yet been read for this plant, and its trait tags are the ones a feature uses rather than every word a page prints. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Cat's Meow
Plant Cat's Meow in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 5, the middle of its hardy zones 3 to 8, spring means April to June and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to September.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 5, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 5 in April. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Cat's Meow get?
20 intall5 ft 7 inan adult24 inwideSee Cat's Meow in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Cat's Meow
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Space Cat's Meow about 24 in apart, center to center, so each plant has room to reach its full width.
Add Cat's Meow to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Cat's Meow's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags were checked against 7 published sources on October 21, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical Gardenheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and trait tags
- Chicago Botanic Gardenhardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color and trait tags
- midwestgroundcovers.comMidwest Groundcoversheight, spread, hardiness zones and bloom months and color
- Proven Winnerswater, bloom months and color and trait tags
- hoffienursery.comHoffie Nurseryspread and bloom months and color
- agsci.psu.eduPenn State University Flower Trialsbloom months and color
- NC State Extensiontrait tags
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
Good to know about Cat's Meow
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Its close relative catnip (Nepeta cataria) draws cats to roll and nibble, and eating a lot can cause mild vomiting or diarrhea. per ASPCA and NC State
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.