Crumbs & Whiskers | Kitten & Cat Cafe. — Restaurant in Washington

First DC cat café! First, I gotta give props to founder/owner, Kanchan Singh, for taking such a huge business risk, working to get more than $35,000 in crowdfunding (more than twice her target), and for essentially putting together this cat café in less than two years (including grappling with the Health Department). Her objective behind standing up this cat café is admirable too - giving cats a chance to interact and get socialized with other cats and humans outside a cage in the shelter, and providing humans an opportunity to adopt these cats. All in all, Crumbs & Whiskers is a modern, Pinterest-worthy foster home for kitties. The Washington Humane Society provides the vaccinated and vetted cats to Crumbs & Whiskers.

Reservations can be made online and are highly recommended. $10/weekdays and $12/weekends. Each reservation is for 55 minutes. During a single reservation slot, expect to find between 15-20 people in the space. You can also sign an online waiver prior to your reservation, although if you forget to do so, you can do it at the front desk too. There's a small menu of drinks (coffee, tea, shakes) and cookies which you can order at the front desk. Food comes from Georgetown Bites across the street and is not made in-house. There's also some swag on the walls and online, from crop tops to cat mugs and kitty tote bags.

Crumbs & Whiskers has three floors. The basement room is restricted to staff and cats (it's where the litter boxes are located). Both the first and second floors are the play/socialization areas. Seating is mostly cushions on the floor so folks can be at the same level as the cats. The second floor is a lot brighter, with natural sunlight streaming in through the large windows. Lots of cat toys, human-themed games (e.g. Cards Against Humanity and Scrabble), and cat-themed books are scattered throughout the space. Walls are decorated with cat-themed signs and swag.

There were 19 cats in the space when I visited. Since they are cats, most were sleeping and I suspect it's that way for most of the day. This limited playtime with cats, especially with close to 20 people in the space trying to play with 2-3 cats that were awake. However, if you enjoy just being in the same space as them, then the limited playtime isn't much of a problem. Each cat has a different personality so some are very playful and friendly while others not so much.

I personally felt that they let in too many people at a time. If I felt crowded, imagine how the cats must feel. Throw in folks who don't understand the nature of cats and insist on waking them or disturb them with excessive attention, and the cats must be super annoyed and overwhelmed. However, it is an ideal place to let folks see the personalities of the cats before thinking about adoption. Also, some people may not be in a position to own a cat but enjoy the company of them, so this is a suitable place for those looking for the companionship and comfort offered by the cats.

A few things I've noticed from Japan cat cafés that I think Crumbs & Whiskers could benefit from as well: +Having binders with cat profiles for visitors to look through, so they can read about the history and personalities of each cat in the space +Being able to purchase treats to feed the cats +Having cubbies/lockers so people can put their...

THIS REVIEW IS FROM 8/20/24

Online reservation and waiver processes were cake. I booked at 11-something in the morning and had no problem getting a spot for a couple hours later. I was happy that the 70-minute slot was not just twice the price of a 30-minute appointment. If you want to chill and cuddle, weekdays are probably the best according to the wonderful staff. I met Keith, Syd, and Alexis (hope I spelled your names right!) and they were all really friendly.

There were lots of cats and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Complaining about the kitties wouldn't be fair to anyone, so I hope others don't do that.

I love how they take in special needs kitties - from around the world, too! Music was chill and relaxing, too.

I'm partial to floofy cats, but there are currently none there. It was just the luck of the draw because Syd told me they usually have a few. Didn't matter to me either way; I love them all.

I ordered a cinnamon brioche and San Pelligrino, which I believe Alexis went to grab from the bakery around the corner. The brioche was stupendous.

One additional thing - they have 10 litter boxes in the back behind only a large set of curtains, which Syd told me they empty at least three times daily. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and I can pick up the ammonia scent of a cat box that hasn't been changed from the second I walk into someone's house. Not a single whiff of it during my entire time (and there were kitties using the boxes the whole time).

During my visit, the only other customers were a pair of young ladies. Again, this was about 1pm on a Monday, though. I was told that they are always totally booked from open to close on the weekends, with max capacity of 14 people. So...your mileage may vary. Just don't be disappointed if you don't happen to read the reviews or look at Google's estimate of their busy times. Be prepared.

Overall, great experience, though a little pricey. Cat therapy is better than human therapy sometimes....and definitely cheaper.

Unfortunately,  Crumbs & Whiskers is not wheelchair accessible as it is down a tight  flight of stairs in the basement of a historic building.

Parking sucks because you're right in the middle of Georgetown. This really isn't their fault, however if you insist on driving, you'll find yourself searching for street parking (likely in the surrounding neighborhood...

(Review originally written in July 2023) I went to Crumbs & Whiskers for the first time late last year with my partner. The experience was so lovely that I knew right away that I would have to bring him back as part of my next birthday gift to him, because he's the only person I know who might love cats more than I do. So that's what we did this past Saturday, with several friends and family in tow, and we had a really lovely time. We were greeted by friendly staff and allowed to sign our waivers on the spot (I'd lost track of the online waivers when I made the reservation). Two friends ordered beverages from the menu offered before we entered the cafe, a mint teal and a latte, which they both enjoyed. It was cat naptime when we entered, because literally every cat in the cafe was snoozing or on the way to snoozing. Indeed, when I sat down on the side bench to wait for the introductory speech that all visitors get before being allowed to interact with the cats, one beautiful, black-nosed cat walked right up to me, hopped into my lap, and settled there for the entire half hour that I was there. This was literally the closest experience I've ever had to love at first sight, and if not for my own two shy kittens at home, I would have adopted her on the spot.

While I wasn't allowed to move. I got to watch my partner and friends coo over and cuddle the many other sleepy cats, as I stroked the cat who had decided to make her mine for the time that I was there. The cafe is beautiful, bright and clean, and the staff are ever present to answer questions and to share their own cat experiences. Between all the soft pillows, cat trees and toys, and the visitors eager to play with and cuddle the cats, this really feels like a paradise for cats and cat-lovers alike. A wonderful experience if you love cats and are in the Georgetown area, whether alone, or if you want to bring your cat-loving...