Update 2/26: The Kitten Lounge is now accepting reservations for 30-minute “kitten experiences” and 70-minute “kitten extravaganzas,” at a cost of $20 and $35 respectively. They are also offering 15-minute “kitten encounters” on a walk-in basis for $15. Food and drink from The Dough Jar will be available for purchase.

Original: For a few months this spring, there will be more than one place to get a feline fix in Georgetown.

The cat café, Crumbs & Whiskers, is opening up a second location about four blocks away, a temporary lounge where visitors can snuggle exclusively with kittens.

“I don’t know how to say this, I think it’s going to be a more adorable experience,” says founder Kanchan Singh. 

Crumbs & Whiskers opened to great fanfare in 2014. Despite a whole lot of skepticism (one person told Singh that it wouldn’t last any longer than a ridiculous, short-lived cereal restaurant), Singh says the business is thriving, including expanding with an outpost in Los Angeles.

Now, with the lease up at her original space on Wisconsin and O streets, the cat café will move to a new location on M Street. Singh calls it “an upgrade.” The space is about the same size in terms of square footage, but it is all on one floor (rather than three in their current location) and in a much more visible spot, right at the center of Georgetown’s shopping district.

But first, kittens.

The weather warming up in the spring marks the beginning of  kitten season, the part of the year when shelters see a huge influx of young, vulnerable cats.

“They have a really short window to get adopted—three to six months. Everyone thinks they are super cute,” Singh says. “The chances of an adult cat being adopted are much lower.”

Crumbs & Whiskers only hosts adoptable adults; kittens can’t be added to the mix because they have weaker immune systems. Still, Singh is acutely aware of how popular kittens are (she’s held several “kitten parties” that sold out immediately) and how many cats are euthanized every year around the country (860,000, according to the ASPCA).

“These two things have always been on my brain,” she says. “It’s always been: how cool would it be if we could have a space dedicated just for kittens?” 

So before Crumbs & Whiskers café relocates to M Street, the new space will be transformed into the Kitten Lounge for about four months. There will be a couple of key differences from the cat café, which will still be in operation at the same time: The Kitten Lounge won’t have a café component, and the sessions will be shorter.

“We want it to be something like, you can take a 15 minute shopping break and hang out with kittens. Or you can have a stressful day at work and say ‘I need to go cuddle kittens,'” Singh says. “It’s almost like kitten therapy. It’s a quicker session rather than this whole 70-minute event in your life.” 

She hasn’t finalized the details, but the appointments will likely be between 15 and 30 minutes. That’s if you can even get a session: Six hours after Crumbs & Whiskers announced the Kitten Lounge, more than 800 people had already signed up for the waitlist.

Ultimately, Singh says, the goal is to see 500 kittens, which will come from the Homeward Trails Animal Rescue non-profit, adopted. How cute.

The Kitten Lounge will run from March to June at 3109 M Street NW. You can sign up for a 30- or 70-minute session here ($20-$35), or 15-minute walk-up sessions ($15) are also available.