diff --git a/django/core/cache/__init__.py b/django/core/cache/__init__.py
index 2cdbe4a04d..721e24921c 100644
--- a/django/core/cache/__init__.py
+++ b/django/core/cache/__init__.py
@@ -53,7 +53,12 @@ def get_cache(backend, **kwargs):
     """
     warnings.warn("'get_cache' is deprecated in favor of 'caches'.",
                   PendingDeprecationWarning, stacklevel=2)
-    return _create_cache(backend, **kwargs)
+    cache = _create_cache(backend, **kwargs)
+    # Some caches -- python-memcached in particular -- need to do a cleanup at the
+    # end of a request cycle. If not implemented in a particular backend
+    # cache.close is a no-op
+    signals.request_finished.connect(cache.close)
+    return cache
 
 
 def _create_cache(backend, **kwargs):
@@ -79,12 +84,7 @@ def _create_cache(backend, **kwargs):
     except (AttributeError, ImportError, ImproperlyConfigured) as e:
         raise InvalidCacheBackendError(
             "Could not find backend '%s': %s" % (backend, e))
-    cache = backend_cls(location, params)
-    # Some caches -- python-memcached in particular -- need to do a cleanup at the
-    # end of a request cycle. If not implemented in a particular backend
-    # cache.close is a no-op
-    signals.request_finished.connect(cache.close)
-    return cache
+    return backend_cls(location, params)
 
 
 class CacheHandler(object):
@@ -98,8 +98,10 @@ class CacheHandler(object):
 
     def __getitem__(self, alias):
         try:
-            return getattr(self._caches, alias)
+            return self._caches.caches[alias]
         except AttributeError:
+            self._caches.caches = {}
+        except KeyError:
             pass
 
         if alias not in settings.CACHES:
@@ -108,10 +110,12 @@ class CacheHandler(object):
             )
 
         cache = _create_cache(alias)
-        setattr(self._caches, alias, cache)
-
+        self._caches.caches[alias] = cache
         return cache
 
+    def all(self):
+        return getattr(self._caches, 'caches', {}).values()
+
 caches = CacheHandler()
 
 
@@ -141,3 +145,11 @@ class DefaultCacheProxy(object):
         return caches[DEFAULT_CACHE_ALIAS] != other
 
 cache = DefaultCacheProxy()
+
+def close_caches(**kwargs):
+    # Some caches -- python-memcached in particular -- need to do a cleanup at the
+    # end of a request cycle. If not implemented in a particular backend
+    # cache.close is a no-op
+    for cache in caches.all():
+        cache.close()
+signals.request_finished.connect(close_caches)
diff --git a/tests/cache/tests.py b/tests/cache/tests.py
index c4a941dbf8..5ca9a7d4db 100644
--- a/tests/cache/tests.py
+++ b/tests/cache/tests.py
@@ -203,7 +203,6 @@ _caches_setting_base = {
     'custom_key2': {'KEY_FUNCTION': 'cache.tests.custom_key_func'},
     'cull': {'OPTIONS': {'MAX_ENTRIES': 30}},
     'zero_cull': {'OPTIONS': {'CULL_FREQUENCY': 0, 'MAX_ENTRIES': 30}},
-    'other': {'LOCATION': 'other'},
 }
 
 
@@ -1014,6 +1013,13 @@ class LocMemCacheTests(BaseCacheTests, TestCase):
         caches['custom_key2']._cache = cache._cache
         caches['custom_key2']._expire_info = cache._expire_info
 
+    @override_settings(CACHES={
+        'default': {'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.locmem.LocMemCache'},
+        'other': {
+            'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.locmem.LocMemCache',
+            'LOCATION': 'other'
+        },
+    })
     def test_multiple_caches(self):
         "Check that multiple locmem caches are isolated"
         cache.set('value', 42)
@@ -1139,6 +1145,12 @@ class CustomCacheKeyValidationTests(TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(cache.get(key), val)
 
 
+@override_settings(
+    CACHES={
+            'default': {
+                'BACKEND': 'cache.closeable_cache.CacheClass',
+            }
+        },)
 class GetCacheTests(IgnorePendingDeprecationWarningsMixin, TestCase):
 
     def test_simple(self):
@@ -1157,6 +1169,12 @@ class GetCacheTests(IgnorePendingDeprecationWarningsMixin, TestCase):
         self.assertRaises(InvalidCacheBackendError, get_cache, 'does_not_exist')
 
     def test_close(self):
+        from django.core import signals
+        self.assertFalse(cache.closed)
+        signals.request_finished.send(self.__class__)
+        self.assertTrue(cache.closed)
+
+    def test_close_deprecated(self):
         from django.core.cache import get_cache
         from django.core import signals
         cache = get_cache('cache.closeable_cache.CacheClass')