US Embassy Actually Sends Cat Photo Instead of Meeting Invite

Cookie Monster was always my favorite character on Sesame Street, so when I saw a photo a cat—my favorite creature—in a Cookie Monster costume, I was thrilled. But what I didn’t know was that the US Embassy actually sent that cat photo around instead of a meeting invite earlier this week and is now apologizing for that, according to the BBC.

Story goes that an undetermined amount of individuals received the above photo in an email dubbed “meeting,” officials from the US Embassy in Canberra, Australia, confirmed. As you can see, not only is the sweet tabby wearing a Cookie Monster costume, but the cat aptly holding a tray of chocolate chip cookies to further his or her foray into the Sesame Street character. Sadly, the “meeting” in request didn’t involve cookies or cats.

 

“Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping to attend this ‘cat pyjama-jam’ party, but such an event falls well outside our area of expertise,” US mission to Australia spokesman Gavin Sundwall told the Australian Associated Press.

 

“It was a training error made by one of our new staff testing out our email newsletter platform,” Sundwall added. Many joked about their disappointment on Twitter, including the US Embassy in New Zealand, who fired back with a meme on Twitter, and Victoria State Secretary Janet Rice joked that she’d “100% would attend a cat pajama-jam.”

 

I mean, can you blame her? The only question I’m left with is wondering exactly who’s cat that was—and where I can buy a Cookie Monster costume for my cat, too.

 

Photo: Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash

 

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Rachel Zoldan

Rachel Jacoby Zoldan is a freelance writer and editor living in New York City with her husband two cats, Gerry and Cookie. (Who are, yes, named after a film about dogs.)

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