Washingtonians may be able to get their cat and coffee fix all in one place (and we don’t mean at home). Crumbs & Whiskers, Washington’s first potential cat cafe, has almost reached its Kickstarter fundraising goal of $15,000 in just over a day. At the time of this post 187 people have donated over $12,800, with 29 days left to accumulate the rest.
The concept first became popular in Japan; the first US version, Cat Town Cafe, opened in Oakland, California last year. Essentially it’s a way for those without animals to get their feline fix in a pleasant, low-commitment way. For Crumbs & Whiskers founder Kanchan Singh, it’s also a means for homeless pets to connect with owners. All of the cats will be loaned to the cafe by the Washington Humane Society, and will be available for adoption through the organization.
Obviously there are more obstacles than opening a regular coffee shop–special permits, securing a pet-friendly lease, the Department of Health–but if all hurdles are passed, the business may be open by mid-to-late summer. Customers will have to make reservations, at least in the early phases, and pay an hourly fee. Food and beverage items will be provided by yet-to-be-named partners. In the meantime, Kickstarter backers can pledge anything between $5 and $1,000 to make the business a reality; $10 gets your ex’s name written inside one of the cafe’s litter boxes, while $1,000–already backed by one person–wins a private party for 30 humans and unknown quantities of cats. The time to donate is meow.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
