If you want to spend an hour hanging out with felines at D.C.’s first and only cat cafe, Crumbs & Whiskers, it will now cost you $15. Owner Kanchan Singh raised the price from $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends in order to compensate for her decision to further cap the crowd size. When the Georgetown spot first opened in June, as many as 37 people could squeeze in to play with the 20 cats. But that ended up being too hectic; now, no more than 24 people will be allowed in at a time. 

“This is where we feel the experience is the best, because you don’t want it to be too quiet and there’s no one there, but you also don’t want it to be too crazy,” Singh says.

Crumbs & Whiskers is also changing its food and drink system. Previously, a cafe across the street would deliver snacks and drinks to patrons who ordered them. Now, Crumbs & Whiskers will offer complimentary tea, coffee, macarons, and cookies—all prepared off-site by Pâtisserie Poupon. If guests want to optionally contribute toward the treats, the money will go toward taking care of the cats.

Another small change: Crumbs & Whiskers has given purple collars to all the “sassy” cats, so people don’t end up with scratches when they try to interact with the animals. Also coming soon: events like a yoga night or Disney movie night with cats.

So far, 23 cats have been adopted from Crumbs & Whiskers through its partnership with the Washington Humane Society. And Singh says the place has been a success beyond that: “It’s definitely meeting all our forecasts. It’s sustainable if the interest is there in the long term.”

Photo by Jessica Sidman