A small nook in downtown D.C sports a sign littered with cat drawings pointing to a small brick staircase with metal handrails that twist down to the front door. Fully glass, the front door reveals soft cozy beds, pillows, and mats.
All of this in shades of pink and white with fake ivy vines, cat bowls scattered, climbing areas, cat trees, and plenty of visitors cuddling up with cats. The cat cafe, Crumbs and Whiskers is a place of feline wonder and hot beverages.
The idea for a cat cafe originated in Taiwan, where they are quite common to find. A cat cafe is a restaurant storefront that’s often fairly small, creating a more comfortable adoption atmosphere for cats.
Guests are welcome to enjoy sitting on soft mats and meeting the adorable felines. Guests can also order off of a menu choosing drinks and snacks to enjoy while they cuddle up with their new pawsome friends.
Crumbs and Whiskers was founded in 2015 by Kanchan Signh. She originally worked in a corporate job, but after a visit to Thailand where she experienced a cat cafe in person for the first time, she wanted to bring this business idea back to the States. Signh started a go-fund-me for $15,000 to help get her business started.
When she reached that goal, Crumbs and Whiskers held their first opening weekend in L.A. It was extremely successful and the profits from it allowed for her to open her storefront. Eventually, they spread to D.C. (3109 M St. NW, Washington DC, 20007) and have had celebrities like Paris Hilton, Nina Doevbrev, Jennifer Garner, Ian Somehandler, and many more visit their locations.
Today, you can find hundreds of five-star reviews for their location, and there’s no question as to why.
As google reviewer Steffi Mitchel stated, “All the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable on every cat there. Answered any questions we had or could have had. They all obviously love their jobs and want the best for the kittens. [staff]Warned us beforehand of any cats that will not let you pick them up. Hands down one of the top experiences of my life.”
Crumbs and Whiskers uses partner shelters to provide cats for their cafe. For their L.A. location, they have partnered with Kitten Rescue Los Angeles, and for their D.C. location, they have partnered with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue in Virginia.
Crumbs and Whiskers continues to promote how they’ve had over 3,000 cats adopted through their centers, and have saved over 4,000 cats from euthanasia. They pride themselves on how they can present cats to future adopters in a new way.
Instead of a shelter that is cold and metallic, Crumbs and Whiskers provides soft plush areas to get cozy with new furry friends.
Entering the cat cafe, the soft mats and plush pillows in shades of pink and white welcome visitors. The food part of the cafe isn’t located in the cafe. They have a partner cafe named Levain Bakery.
Customers can order drinks and snacks once they are inside the cafe and employees will bring the order over to them. They are priced at about the same as the average chain coffee shop.
However many people like Christopher Yandell on Google reviews agree that it tastes much better, “The cafe is catered by Levain, so the food and drinks are delicious.”
On their website and in person they offer a 30-minute session or an hour session, and all the staff agree that the hour session is best so visitors have plenty of time to relax and get to know their cats. Plus, with an hour-long session, customers have more time to eat and cuddle all of their cats.
“I had a really fun time here, but I only wish I could have had more time to be with the cats. If only they had an apartment in this store,” commented customer Vincent Zepf. By the end of the session most will probably want to adopt just about every single cat.
However, to adopt a cat from their cafe, visitors have to first apply for an application like any other adoption. The partner shelters have to approve that visitors have the resources and space for a cat, but once that’s complete adoptees can take their cat home.
Crumbs and Whiskers staff say that they also do this to ensure that potential adoptees get along with the cat/s they fell in love with. But once approved, adopters get to take home their cat, plus a free polaroid on their wall of adopters with their new furry friends.
Crumbs and Whiskers is a wonderful place to visit when looking for a fun and comfy place to visit over break. It’s the perfect getaway from the busy city stuffed right inside of it. Everyone will have a purrfect time!
