diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher.go
index 94b710fb5f0..0f5c0848dae 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher.go
@@ -98,14 +98,17 @@ func (wm watchersMap) addWatcher(w *cacheWatcher, number int) {
 	wm[number] = w
 }
 
-func (wm watchersMap) deleteWatcher(number int) {
-	delete(wm, number)
+func (wm watchersMap) deleteWatcher(number int, done func(*cacheWatcher)) {
+	if watcher, ok := wm[number]; ok {
+		delete(wm, number)
+		done(watcher)
+	}
 }
 
-func (wm watchersMap) terminateAll() {
+func (wm watchersMap) terminateAll(done func(*cacheWatcher)) {
 	for key, watcher := range wm {
 		delete(wm, key)
-		watcher.stop()
+		done(watcher)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -125,24 +128,24 @@ func (i *indexedWatchers) addWatcher(w *cacheWatcher, number int, value string,
 	}
 }
 
-func (i *indexedWatchers) deleteWatcher(number int, value string, supported bool) {
+func (i *indexedWatchers) deleteWatcher(number int, value string, supported bool, done func(*cacheWatcher)) {
 	if supported {
-		i.valueWatchers[value].deleteWatcher(number)
+		i.valueWatchers[value].deleteWatcher(number, done)
 		if len(i.valueWatchers[value]) == 0 {
 			delete(i.valueWatchers, value)
 		}
 	} else {
-		i.allWatchers.deleteWatcher(number)
+		i.allWatchers.deleteWatcher(number, done)
 	}
 }
 
-func (i *indexedWatchers) terminateAll(objectType reflect.Type) {
+func (i *indexedWatchers) terminateAll(objectType reflect.Type, done func(*cacheWatcher)) {
 	if len(i.allWatchers) > 0 || len(i.valueWatchers) > 0 {
 		klog.Warningf("Terminating all watchers from cacher %v", objectType)
 	}
-	i.allWatchers.terminateAll()
+	i.allWatchers.terminateAll(done)
 	for index, watchers := range i.valueWatchers {
-		watchers.terminateAll()
+		watchers.terminateAll(done)
 		delete(i.valueWatchers, index)
 	}
 }
@@ -203,8 +206,19 @@ type Cacher struct {
 	stopCh   chan struct{}
 	stopWg   sync.WaitGroup
 
-	// Used to avoid unnecessary allocations in underlying watchers.
+	// timer is used to avoid unnecessary allocations in underlying watchers.
 	timer *time.Timer
+
+	// dispatching determines whether there is currently dispatching of
+	// any event in flight.
+	dispatching bool
+	// watchersBuffer is a list of watchers potentially interested in currently
+	// dispatched event.
+	watchersBuffer []*cacheWatcher
+	// watchersToStop is a list of watchers that were supposed to be stopped
+	// during current dispatching, but stopping was deferred to the end of
+	// dispatching that event to avoid race with closing channels in watchers.
+	watchersToStop []*cacheWatcher
 }
 
 // NewCacherFromConfig creates a new Cacher responsible for servicing WATCH and LIST requests from
@@ -650,19 +664,41 @@ func (c *Cacher) dispatchEvents() {
 }
 
 func (c *Cacher) dispatchEvent(event *watchCacheEvent) {
+	c.startDispatching(event)
+
+	// Since add() can block, we explicitly add when cacher is unlocked.
+	for _, watcher := range c.watchersBuffer {
+		watcher.add(event, c.timer, c.dispatchTimeoutBudget)
+	}
+
+	c.finishDispatching()
+}
+
+// startDispatching chooses watchers potentially interested in a given event
+// a marks dispatching as true.
+func (c *Cacher) startDispatching(event *watchCacheEvent) {
 	triggerValues, supported := c.triggerValues(event)
 
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
+
+	c.dispatching = true
+	// We are reusing the slice to avoid memory reallocations in every
+	// dispatchEvent() call. That may prevent Go GC from freeing items
+	// from previous phases that are sitting behind the current length
+	// of the slice, but there is only a limited number of those and the
+	// gain from avoiding memory allocations is much bigger.
+	c.watchersBuffer = c.watchersBuffer[:0]
+
 	// Iterate over "allWatchers" no matter what the trigger function is.
 	for _, watcher := range c.watchers.allWatchers {
-		watcher.add(event, c.timer, c.dispatchTimeoutBudget)
+		c.watchersBuffer = append(c.watchersBuffer, watcher)
 	}
 	if supported {
 		// Iterate over watchers interested in the given values of the trigger.
 		for _, triggerValue := range triggerValues {
 			for _, watcher := range c.watchers.valueWatchers[triggerValue] {
-				watcher.add(event, c.timer, c.dispatchTimeoutBudget)
+				c.watchersBuffer = append(c.watchersBuffer, watcher)
 			}
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -675,16 +711,38 @@ func (c *Cacher) dispatchEvent(event *watchCacheEvent) {
 		// Iterate over watchers interested in exact values for all values.
 		for _, watchers := range c.watchers.valueWatchers {
 			for _, watcher := range watchers {
-				watcher.add(event, c.timer, c.dispatchTimeoutBudget)
+				c.watchersBuffer = append(c.watchersBuffer, watcher)
 			}
 		}
 	}
 }
 
+// finishDispatching stops all the watchers that were supposed to be
+// stopped in the meantime, but it was deferred to avoid closing input
+// channels of watchers, as add() may still have writing to it.
+// It also marks dispatching as false.
+func (c *Cacher) finishDispatching() {
+	c.Lock()
+	defer c.Unlock()
+	c.dispatching = false
+	for _, watcher := range c.watchersToStop {
+		watcher.stop()
+	}
+	c.watchersToStop = c.watchersToStop[:0]
+}
+
 func (c *Cacher) terminateAllWatchers() {
 	c.Lock()
 	defer c.Unlock()
-	c.watchers.terminateAll(c.objectType)
+	c.watchers.terminateAll(c.objectType, c.stopWatcherThreadUnsafe)
+}
+
+func (c *Cacher) stopWatcherThreadUnsafe(watcher *cacheWatcher) {
+	if c.dispatching {
+		c.watchersToStop = append(c.watchersToStop, watcher)
+	} else {
+		watcher.stop()
+	}
 }
 
 func (c *Cacher) isStopped() bool {
@@ -710,20 +768,15 @@ func (c *Cacher) Stop() {
 	c.stopWg.Wait()
 }
 
-func forgetWatcher(c *Cacher, index int, triggerValue string, triggerSupported bool) func(bool) {
-	return func(lock bool) {
-		if lock {
-			c.Lock()
-			defer c.Unlock()
-		} else {
-			// false is currently passed only if we are forcing watcher to close due
-			// to its unresponsiveness and blocking other watchers.
-			// TODO: Get this information in cleaner way.
-			klog.V(1).Infof("Forcing watcher close due to unresponsiveness: %v", c.objectType.String())
-		}
+func forgetWatcher(c *Cacher, index int, triggerValue string, triggerSupported bool) func() {
+	return func() {
+		c.Lock()
+		defer c.Unlock()
+
 		// It's possible that the watcher is already not in the structure (e.g. in case of
-		// simultaneous Stop() and terminateAllWatchers(), but it doesn't break anything.
-		c.watchers.deleteWatcher(index, triggerValue, triggerSupported)
+		// simultaneous Stop() and terminateAllWatchers(), but it is safe to call stop()
+		// on a watcher multiple times.
+		c.watchers.deleteWatcher(index, triggerValue, triggerSupported, c.stopWatcherThreadUnsafe)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -822,11 +875,11 @@ type cacheWatcher struct {
 	done      chan struct{}
 	filter    filterWithAttrsFunc
 	stopped   bool
-	forget    func(bool)
+	forget    func()
 	versioner storage.Versioner
 }
 
-func newCacheWatcher(resourceVersion uint64, chanSize int, initEvents []*watchCacheEvent, filter filterWithAttrsFunc, forget func(bool), versioner storage.Versioner) *cacheWatcher {
+func newCacheWatcher(resourceVersion uint64, chanSize int, initEvents []*watchCacheEvent, filter filterWithAttrsFunc, forget func(), versioner storage.Versioner) *cacheWatcher {
 	watcher := &cacheWatcher{
 		input:     make(chan *watchCacheEvent, chanSize),
 		result:    make(chan watch.Event, chanSize),
@@ -847,8 +900,7 @@ func (c *cacheWatcher) ResultChan() <-chan watch.Event {
 
 // Implements watch.Interface.
 func (c *cacheWatcher) Stop() {
-	c.forget(true)
-	c.stop()
+	c.forget()
 }
 
 func (c *cacheWatcher) stop() {
@@ -888,8 +940,8 @@ func (c *cacheWatcher) add(event *watchCacheEvent, timer *time.Timer, budget *ti
 		// This means that we couldn't send event to that watcher.
 		// Since we don't want to block on it infinitely,
 		// we simply terminate it.
-		c.forget(false)
-		c.stop()
+		klog.V(1).Infof("Forcing watcher close due to unresponsiveness: %v", reflect.TypeOf(event.Object).String())
+		c.forget()
 	}
 
 	budget.returnUnused(timeout - time.Since(startTime))
@@ -982,11 +1034,7 @@ func (c *cacheWatcher) process(initEvents []*watchCacheEvent, resourceVersion ui
 
 	defer close(c.result)
 	defer c.Stop()
-	for {
-		event, ok := <-c.input
-		if !ok {
-			return
-		}
+	for event := range c.input {
 		// only send events newer than resourceVersion
 		if event.ResourceVersion > resourceVersion {
 			c.sendWatchCacheEvent(event)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_whitebox_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_whitebox_test.go
index e18726a637d..2de915eb5a9 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_whitebox_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/cacher_whitebox_test.go
@@ -45,12 +45,17 @@ import (
 // the writes to cacheWatcher.result channel is blocked.
 func TestCacheWatcherCleanupNotBlockedByResult(t *testing.T) {
 	var lock sync.RWMutex
+	var w *cacheWatcher
 	count := 0
 	filter := func(string, labels.Set, fields.Set) bool { return true }
-	forget := func(bool) {
+	forget := func() {
 		lock.Lock()
 		defer lock.Unlock()
 		count++
+		// forget() has to stop the watcher, as only stopping the watcher
+		// triggers stopping the process() goroutine which we are in the
+		// end waiting for in this test.
+		w.stop()
 	}
 	initEvents := []*watchCacheEvent{
 		{Object: &v1.Pod{}},
@@ -58,7 +63,7 @@ func TestCacheWatcherCleanupNotBlockedByResult(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	// set the size of the buffer of w.result to 0, so that the writes to
 	// w.result is blocked.
-	w := newCacheWatcher(0, 0, initEvents, filter, forget, testVersioner{})
+	w = newCacheWatcher(0, 0, initEvents, filter, forget, testVersioner{})
 	w.Stop()
 	if err := wait.PollImmediate(1*time.Second, 5*time.Second, func() (bool, error) {
 		lock.RLock()
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ func TestCacheWatcherHandlesFiltering(t *testing.T) {
 	filter := func(_ string, _ labels.Set, field fields.Set) bool {
 		return field["spec.nodeName"] == "host"
 	}
-	forget := func(bool) {}
+	forget := func() {}
 
 	testCases := []struct {
 		events   []*watchCacheEvent