In an unfortunate case of human error, an email from the US State Department in Australia was sent out with the title "meeting" and the glorious picture of a cat with a plate of cookies.
The email, which has been cited as a "training error", was sent from the United States' embassy in Canberra, Australia as a fake meeting invitation. The email was entitled "meeting", and featured the picture of a cat wearing a Cookie Monster onesie, posing on a couch with a plate full of cookies, along with a button to RSVP.
A screen grab of the lighthearted follow-up apology email has been doing the rounds online, which itself is just as good as the original. It reads, "The United States' embassy in Canberra has apologised for a "training error" after distributing a fake meeting invitation, complete with a photo of a pyjama-wearing cat".
The email, written by public affairs counsellor Gavin Sundwall, continues (and gets even better), "The email, entitled "meeting", featured a photo of a tabby cat wearing a blue Cookie Monster outfit and holding a plate of choc-chip biscuits, beneath the title "cat pajama-jam".
Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping to attend this "cat pajama-jam" party, but such an event falls well outside our area of expertise." You can read the full cringe-worthy statement below:
The US embassy in Australia accidentally sent out a cat photo instead of a meeting invite. https://t.co/NOHLA8RbjJ pic.twitter.com/NfqebepiIE
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) October 15, 2018
The email has been retweeted around Twitter, and the response has been tongue-in-cheek to say the least:
RSVP YES https://t.co/dCdBQiL8bv
— Zombie Trek Sue London ☕ðŸÂÂ?©ðŸ––📚 (@cmdrsue) October 15, 2018
Sounds like excellent public diplomacy to me. I would open all embassy emails if I knew there could be cat photos. https://t.co/qGg8cQeARA
— Mintaro Oba (@MintaroOba) October 15, 2018
Whatever the real event is is going to be a HUGE disappointment. https://t.co/GP8DpXFVOT
— Teresa Genaro (@BklynBckstretch) October 15, 2018
I’m a dog person, but I have no problem that my tax dollars are supporting this. https://t.co/a1aVAWyLrR
— Kent German (@KentGerman) October 15, 2018
To be fair, it is a tremendous way to get people interested in reading an email about a meeting. https://t.co/ETepwWfN5a
— Richard James (@richjamesuk) October 15, 2018