Crumbs & Whiskers

I still love Crumbs & Whiskers, and after taking into consideration all the feedback they received, this cat café is now better than ever! Let’s talk changes, shall we?
— less hoomans = more kitteh time per person. They’ve lowered the total number of guests for each session so that the cats are not overwhelmed (though frankly, I don’t think they cared before), and the humans have a better shot at getting some one on one kitteh time.
— longer sessions — Every session is now over an hour so that there’s no chance of you feeling rushed from the precious kitteh time
— slightly higher cost ($ 15/​hr) — more time with kittehs, and fewer hoomans, leads to a slight increase in the cost. But $ 15 is still a fairly low cost when you take into consideration how much goes into running a café, keeping kittehs fed, and the space clean and welcoming.
— more special events! they’ve done yoga a few times now, and also offer a telecommuting/​studying pass which increases the ways in which you can visit the café and kittehs. I’ve also used their wifi before and con confirm that it’s totally strong enough to meet your studying/​working needs
— more human sized seating. This was never an issue for me but appeared to be a concern for some other patrons. C&W listened and now there’s more chairs, stools and benches for the hoomans.
— games! Cats love anyone that’s generally not paying attention to them, so go ahead and start a game of cards against humanity, or jenga, and just sit back and wait for the kittehs to come love on ya!
I hope C&W is in business for a long, long time. Aside from providing me with a fun space to interact with kittehs, it also allows for adoptions to happen in a fun environment. So go ahead and check out C&W today to get your kitteh snuggle on.

I’ve always wanted to make a reservation and I’m so glad I did. Today’s (1÷8÷16) visit was absolutely heavenly.
I arrived a little bit earlier than the reservation time but I was warmly greeted, signed in, and had my drink orders taken before hand so once 2:15 hit I could get right to socializing with the kitties.
Along with the friendly staff, the environment itself is just so inviting and comforting– kudos on the music selection! Regarding allergies: there’s really no issues here– at least not for me. There were air purifiers everywhere along with oil diffusers and it really added to the environment and its ambience.
The kitties were absolute angels, each of them holding their own perfect personalities. I could have definitely stayed there a lot longer than an hour and fifteen minutes if allowed.
Two thumbs up on the drink selection! My earl grey was delicious.
Thank you, staff and kitties, for such a wonderful experience! I will be back.

Brought my daughter, who is allergic, but loves cats. We had a great time. Our session on the afternoon of 1÷3÷16 was fully booked, but there was still plenty of room for people to spread out.
We knew from the website that the cats tend to sleep in the afternoon and what the cat interaction ground rules were (no picking up the cats, no waking them up, etc). This helped us to manage our expectations.
The staff was also very accommodating and friendly.

I’ve never been to a cat-​café before, and maybe I just hyped it up in my head too much because I love cats, but C&W didn’t meet all of my expectations. My friends and I went on a Sat. at 2:45pm, and unfortunately it was fully booked. I thought it was too crowded. At that time slot, if you figure half of the cats are sleeping, then there’s max ~1 cat for every 2 people. You aren’t allowed to pick them up or wake a sleeping cat. All of the cats I attempted to pet were not interested and kept moving along. I get the feeling they must be overstimulated. I enjoyed 15min of playing with a few of them, and that was pretty much it.
Also, there’s only 10 cats featured on the website… does that mean the rest are not up for adoption? We were enjoying one named Pancake, later to find out that she was already signed up for adoption (which is awesome, but if you’re looking to adopt one, you should know that upfront so you don’t waste your time?).
Not being too familiar with the downtown area, it would be helpful if the website offered parking suggestions/​best way to get there kind of information.
Anyways, overall I would go again. I love the décor and I support the cause. You can easily make a day of it and enjoy everything else Georgetown has to offer. I would just aim to go on a weekday, or first thing in the morning.

This place is mostly excellent, but not quite five stars. The staff is great, the cats are friendly, and it’s a pretty big space with lots of variation in seating and toys.
However, a couple things need improving.
1. On a Saturday morning, it was damn crowded. I know that it’s a popular time and they want to max profits with as many reservations as possible, but there was a marked difference in the business from 11 am to noon. So make sure you stick out your reservation for the golden time.
2. They partner with Olivia Macaron for treats and coffee. Good product, but super expensive and takes forever to transport. Perhaps a closer or more affordable café could cater. Maybe Georgetown Bites across the street or Wisey’s around the corner. Also, that could throw some more breakfasty items into the mix, like muffins, croissants, scones.
3. As I said, we were there first thing on Saturday morning, and it was a dusty, furry mess. A thorough vacuuming should be standard at closing. I know it scares the cats, but they’ll live. Periodic swiffering throughout the day would help with the debris.
Despite those points, it really was a great experience. The most important part is that the cats are social and the people are well-​behaved, both of which get 5 stars.

A group of eight of us went to Crumbs & Whiskers at 11am on a Sunday. Most of the cats were awake, playful and loving. We had a very lovely experience.
The only hitch was that our drinks and macaroons ordered through C&W when we entered had not arrived with only 10 minutes left in our visit. They arrived in the next few minutes and C&W was nice enough to credit us for the drinks/​food and extend our time for another 30 minutes. This gesture went a long way and it was a refreshing change that this was done without a complaint or request from the group.
I found out that they will allow some food and drinks to be brought into the café, so I would probably bring a drink next time. You really don’t want to be eating and drinking too much. It detracts from your experience with the cats.
In addition to the cats, the modern furnishings are cool.

This was our first visit and we loved it. We took our daughter and she was in heaven. We arrived a few minutes early and they welcomed us in told us the rules and introduced us to the cats. One little cat named Tiger greeted us at the desk and was so friendly.
We ordered drinks and then spent times with all the cats that were awake both downstairs and upstairs. It was a bit crowded at the start but after people spread out it was fine. There are plenty of cats to go around. My daughter is already ready to go back and we just got home!

Had a great time! Went at night and there wasn’t that many people. Cats were, well… Cats! Fluff ball chose me! I would like to come back some time. Our one hour reservation was at 7:15 pm but the owners were cool about letting us all hang out until closing (a little past our reserved time).
Suggestions:
Include a drink/​snack/​something with the cover… It is Georgetown but $ 15 is a bit steep compared to other cat cafes out there. Also, please have binders or iPad with info on each cat! That would be cool.

A cat café is a cat café. However, I especially love the mission of Crumbs & Whiskers. Did you know that you can adopt one of the café’s cats? That, to me, speaks of true love and appreciation for the well-​being of the cats, rather than just having cats to serve as human-​amusement.
The price is steep compared to other cat cafes I have visited, especially because you only get an hour. (Checking back on the website, I notice the price went up to $ 15 from $ 12 the last time I visited… but you also get 15 extra minutes to spend with the cats!) However, the venue is located in Georgetown to justify the price and the space is quite clean. There are plenty of cat toys to entice the cats to play with you. When I visited, about ¾ of them were sleeping and all of us crowded around the few who wanted attention. Check out their website for bios on the cats before you go~
A great way to get your cat cuddle-​time fix!

My first ever cat café, and I am happy to say my expectations were well met. The cats were all friendly and clean. They seemed well cared for, and it’s clear they’re the priority, not the humans, which is nice since this is a place for animal lovers.
I booked online and signed my waiver. Check in was seamless. Staff was knowledgeable, laying down the rules and the process of it all. They even earned me about specific cats that were «grumpy» and should be left alone. Drinks were over priced (over $ 4 for a tiny black coffee) but I expected it. Like an amusement park. Pro tip: cream and sugar is hiding on a cart on the first floor. Took me awhile to find it. Would be nice to have a better selection. It is a café.
The cats, like I said, were well cared for. I am great with cats, so I tried not to bother them. The café has board games scattered about, so I settled in to play with a friend on the second floor and after about thirty minutes we had four cats gathered around us.
Some people might not get cats. They’re fun to play with, but they’re not dogs. They mostly sleep, so try to be content with just giving them pets and not getting hurt when they don’t jump on your lap right away or chase toys. I loved just hanging out and petting them while they did their cat thing.
My only complaint is that there’s too many people every group. It’s a tight layout plus 20 cats, so people are fighting for space to move. This might be lessened if we had places to hang coats or purses. I went in winter which means heavy coats and scarves added to the claustrophobia. Even the front entrance is cramped and difficult to maneuver.
My advice is to bring something to do, ask the very friendly staff questions, and adopt these cats! They’re all socialized well and in great health. A really unique awesome outing.

It was definitely a fun experience to come here with my boyfriend for an afternoon of cat playing fun. However, I will say that you have to either really be fascinated with cats or patient as a lot of them were passed out sleeping when we came around 2:00pm or didn’t really want to be pet.
I’m more of a dog person but I knew going in that cats wouldn’t just be running into my lap or be as easy to play with. A lot of them respond well to toys and CAT NIP. 5 minutes in my boyfriend bought a small container for $ 2.99 and that extra treat for the cats made the biggest difference between us sitting there trying to get their attention to a whole swarm of cats running around us.
Be careful of the ones with purple colors — they are especially frisky!

I like cats but can’t have a cat.
For a small insignificant sum I can sit in a place and play with cats. The cats are super cute. Some had cute little noses and cool furry cat pajamas and some had cute little cat paw pads. Some sleep around and some climb on top of cat perches and some follow you around. There were more than enough to satisfy a majority of my desire to play with other people’s cats but times a thousand. It was hard to be chill and not overload them with my cat love. If you come too strong some will shrug you off and go do some other cat activity with someone who is probably less deserving. Sometimes I sit there and judge them while they judged me. Me and the cats get into an epic battle of who can stare at each other the longest than I lose because laser pointer. Some of the cuter ones sat on my lap I pet them a lot.
Then I got a coffee.

My sister, husband and I visited for the November Kittens in Mustache party. I was so bummed I didn’t get in for the Halloween bash, but psyched I got in for this one. It was all of our first times. At first it was hard because it seemed like people were pretty possessive with the cats, but after about a half an hour in to our stay, it seemed to thin out and we got to interact with some cats and kittens.
I have to say, even though I have two cats already (and had to swear to my husband that I wouldn’t be coming home with another) I had so much fun. The environment is super comfy, especially since the three of us are totally cool chilling on the floor. I loved the décor, very cat friendly obviously. It’s great that there’s two levels because although the space is small, the two levels make you feel like you can get some room between yourselves and the other humans. That being said, we enjoyed interacting with the other humans because personally I think anyone that’s going to support a great cause and likes cats is going to be pretty cool in my book.
The hot chocolate was delicious, we got macarons and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I was really happy with the cats of course but I do love hot chocolate and this was was just right for the night.
The cats that were there were great. We had this little black kitten who was so playful and she was totally the star of the second floor. There was Binks who was dressed in this ridiculous dinosaur sweater and just so good about it. Fluffy Leann just melted in your arms. There was this handsome Bengal mix, Pepper, that I really fell in love with. We ended up being a little sanctuary for two little kittens who were a little bit overwhelmed and picked my husband and I to burrow behind to chill out. And the rest of the cats were handsome, personable, chill, and every kind of fun adjective I can think of. If you are a cat person, I of course highly recommend! I will be a repeat visitor because I love what Crumbs & Whiskers does for cats and am proud to support such an awesome cause. Do you think my husband would notice if I brought home one???

Such a fun, unique idea in a great location! The staff was friendly and clearly cared a lot about all of the kitties. We got to play and love on no less than 8 cats during our visit. It was so hard to leave!
We fell in love with one in particular and are considering adopting him. This concept is so great in that animals in need are finding forever homes. It’s an awesome way to go learn about an animal and determine if you mesh before committing to adopt. I highly recommend for those looking, those that have and enjoy cats, or those that simply want to destress and enjoy some happy fun play time!
Don’t get too bothered if the cats don’t take to you though. We saw one couple dangling a toy in front of a very asleep animal, get frustrated, wander around for a few minutes then leave. Cats take work and you have to understand them. If you aren’t willing to be patient, gentle, and put in some effort this place isn’t for you.

I wanted to love this place, but there are some major glaring flaws that make it a bit less exciting than I would have wanted. Even for someone obsessed with cats.
Crumbs & Whiskers is a cat café in DC. That’s big — it’s more or less the same thing that you might see in Japan, albeit converted for American audiences. The kicker is that it helps promote cats that can be adopted, which gives it a charitable aspect. The admission fee/​reservation fee is reasonable, and prices on the drinks are okay… but more on that later.
This place is really not a café as much as it is a yuppie play place. The staff working here kinda lounge around and handle things lazily, which is not bad — but not exactly a café. No chairs, no tables (except for coffee tables), and a bunch of board games makes the place feel like more of an adult playground than anything else. Ordering food is done downstairs, but there doesn’t seem to be an obvious place for them to make or prepare the food — rather, it must be done in the basement or something similar. It felt weird and off-​putting for a «cat café» to be, more or less, little more than pillows on the ground and a bunch of coffee tables.
The cats here are great, but be warned, there are limits. Cats like to sleep and chill, and making them the center of attention for hours a day gets weird. The cats know that they can be «safe» from visitors if they sleep, and more than a few cats appeared to be grumpy by the excessive attention other patrons were giving them. I’ll confess I felt a teensy bit guilty being there to disturb the cats — they seemed to have more than enough attention for the day.
I’ll be frank: I was hoping for a bit more structure. With tables and chairs, this could be a genuine hang-​out sort of café — meaning some more socializing with people and less harassment of cats, meaning happier/​more social cats. There’s a delicate balance that needs to be struck at these sorts of places, and I’m not sure if that’s entirely been met yet.
Here’s hoping they improve soon!

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 belongings in

What’s there not to love about a creative hometown startup with a social impact factor? Crumbs and Whiskers is the place to go if you want to feel good but also do good.
Walking into Crumbs and Whiskers is like walking into a real life Pinterest board. A rustic, bohemian first floor and a neon-​accented, modernized upstairs. Can I hire C&W’s designers to do my home interior please? The space is designed for humans to lounge and cats to frolic. Big, fluffy, cushioned seating lines the walls of both rooms and quirky wall mounted furniture and shelves are positioned sporadically throughout for the cats to leap around or hide within.
A PSA for customers who do not have a lot of exposure to cats: I do not walk into your room and wake you up by crossing every personal boundary and rubbing my hands all over you. So please don’t do so to any poor, unsuspecting, sleeping cat. Cats are also not obligated to immediately love every stranger who walks into C&W. So please respect them and do not be offended when any cat within your immediate radar does not automatically run up to you begging for your attention.
There is a plethora of toys lying around the café and trust me when I say these are your keys to success in grabbing a cat’s attention. Employees are super friendly and actively engage with the customers. And if you’re feeling hungry or thirsty, C&W provides food and drinks, safely prepared a distance away to avoid you finding anything that look suspiciously like a cat hair in your plate or cup.
My absolute favorite part about this café is that all cats are adoptable. So if you find yourself in a love-​at-​first-​pet situation with Mr. Cuddles over there, you have the flexibility to take him home.

Such a lovely idea going terribly terribly wrong… Sigh
Of course only a lazy one has not compared this place to a cat café tucked in somewhere on a street in Paris or Barcelona… But the thing is in Europe the cats are just the accessories, and people do come to cafes… mmm… to have a cup of coffee and a toast and what not, and occasionally pet a cat that seeks out your attention. Here, you have a shy menu of a few things that may be delivered, but I have not seen a single person order anything from it. So cats is all that is left there to do for a crowd of people that just paid $ 11 to get in.
In my shy calculations there was about 0.7 cats per person. And of course everyone wanted to get their kitty time and take a cute Instagram picture, pretending that cats just love being grabbed, played with and pet.
Cats look super stressed, confused, annoyed or painfully shy, trying to find any inch where a human hand would not reach — upper shelves, restroom on the second floor, flight of stairs. Humans, on the other hand, kept chasing them relentlessly. I had a few cats in my life and I know the rules — but most of the crowd ignored them all. I have not seen any staff member asking people to behave — and there were bunch of them who grabbed the cats, ignoring the hissing or sad meows. A few other girls kept shoving cat toys into a sleeping cat’s face — the poor thing tried to ignore them for as long as he could and then ran downstairs. None of the cats I’ve seen approached a person on their free will or were a bit curious about the situation. Most of the cats were sleeping — I think they figured out that could be their safest bet to be left alone.
Very sad scene and I didn’t even stay for the full 50 minutes. Cats are clearly put on display here — and that’s the last thing they want.

Um. KITTIES. I could just leave it at that.
The place has two levels for people to interact with the kitties. According to the employees, there were 22 when I was visiting. There are pillows and cushions lined along the walls, and in the center are pet beds, tables, and bins of cat toys. The kitties are vetted by Washington Humane Society to determine which ones will do well in such an open social environment.
It’s a really relaxing peaceful environment. The downside is that because the place is so popular right now, you need to reserve an hour block of time to go. It tends to be really crowded, and although it’s a peaceful place where you’d theoretically want to come and work or read, an hour isn’t a very long time to do any of that.

5 stars… because CATS!
My husband and I made reservations for a Wednesday morning. We had no trouble parking and found a pleasant person to cat ratio of somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1 (more cats than people). At 11am about 75% of the cats were awake and 2 – 3 were in playful moods. My husband ordered a regular coffee and received it much faster than anticipated. My understanding is that there is no food/​drinks made on premises and when you order they send a runner to grab it from their food/​drink partner so timing is probably based on how busy their drink counterpart is.
To ensure a satisfying experience you should enter with managed expectations. Do keep in mind that cats are cats. They sleep like 85% of the day and are not always in playful moods. If you are a cat love you already know this and will enjoy being in an environment surrounded by cats and fellow catlovers whether or not the kittehs are asleep. If you are not a cat lover then you are probably in the wrong place.
I sincerely hope that this establishment is a long term success because it helps these kitties find forever homes.