U.S. Embassy Apologizes For Inadvertently Sending Out Cat Picture

The United States State Department found themselves having to send out an apology after a "training error" resulted in the distribution of a fake meeting invitation to a "cat pajama-jam' that contained an image of a cat wearing pajamas while holding a plate of chocolate chip cookies in its lap.

Unfortunately for cat-lovers everywhere, the invite was a mistake and there was no cat pajama party being hosted by the State Department (which is really a shame when you think about it). The email was sent by the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia, and was reportedly the result of a new staff member who inadvertently sent the cat-pajama party invite. 

"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," U.S. Mission to Australia public affairs counsellor Gavin Sundwall wrote in a follow-up email two days later. "It was a training error made by one of our new staff testing out our email newsletter platform." 

Sundwall added that "strong management controls" would be implemented for newsletters to ensure an accident like this wouldn't happen again. 

The email also contained a paragraph of Latin text and an RSVP button people could use to 

The photo came from a Melbourne woman named Jennifer Stewart, who dresses her cats in onesies for pictures on her Instagram account @my_furry_babies. 

The 'training accident' calls to mind another case of a mistaken button being press. Last January, a Hawaiian public employee inadvertently caused a panic after sending out an alert that said an incoming ballistic missile was heading for Hawaii. 


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