Crumbs & Whiskers, DC’s first cat cafe, temporarily closed in Georgetown, Staff says this happened right after they decided to form a union.

photo by Ryan Maxwell

Ed. Note: There is no announcement about a temporary closure on the Crumbs and Whiskers website (or socials), having said that, appointments are not available to visit until March 11th… Crumbs & Whiskers original opened in Georgetown, in a different location (currently located at 3109 M Street, NW), back in 2015. Updates as more info becomes available. Crumbs & Whiskers says: “It is a temporary closure of our Georgetown Store.”

Thanks to all who passed on from Crumbs & Whiskers Workers United:

“Crumbs & Whiskers DC has been closed by owner Kanchan Singh.

All cats have been returned to our rescue partner or placed in foster care and are safe

Overnight, 12 people lost their source of income. We’re asking for your help.”

“Dear PoPville,

We’re the staff of Crumbs & Whiskers, DC’s first cat cafe and a member of the Georgetown community for over 10 years. We’ve formally decided to unionize after ongoing challenges with ownership made it difficult to continue our work in a healthy and ethical environment.

Our efforts are focused on improving working conditions for staff and ensuring ethical, transparent care for the cats, many of whom are funded through community donations.”

From the GoFundMe: “Help Crumbs & Whiskers Staff Through This Crisis”

“On January 11, the Crumbs & Whiskers DC staff delivered a letter to owner Kanchan Singh requesting voluntary recognition of our union with Workers United. Since that time, we believe management has engaged in multiple unfair labor practices and union-busting tactics.

Late last night, Kanchan Singh and Vice President Aidan Graven informed staff that effective Tuesday, February 10, the cafe will be closing indefinitely. We are absolutely devastated by this decision. Our team has poured immense time, care, and labor into making Crumbs & Whiskers a safe, welcoming space for our guests and, most importantly, for the cats.

All of our cats in the cafe have found homes, but this closure has abruptly left 12 employees without income. We all depend on this job to pay rent, afford groceries, and cover basic living expenses. We are now facing sudden financial instability through no fault of our own.

We are asking our community for support in any way possible. This includes sharing our story, helping connect us with legal resources, labor advocates, or mutual aid networks, and offering financial assistance to help us survive this unexpected loss of income. Any guidance, solidarity, or material support during this time means more to us than we can adequately put into words.”

Stay tuned.