I Can Haz Kitten? Uber’s National Cat Day Promotion Is Minor Cat-astrophe

Update Tuesday 6:15 p.m. ET:

We can haz kitten! The nice people over at ASPCA stopped by our office late today with Carla, an adorable two-month old kitten -- who is available for adoption!

Here's she is again:

Updated Tuesday, 2:55 p.m. ET.

In honor of National Cat Day, Uber, the on-demand private car service, has partnered with Cheezburger and the ASPCA to deliver kittens (and cupcakes!) to your office. If you work in New York, San Francisco or Seattle, you can (allegedly) get a 15-minute visit with an adoptable kitten(s), accompanied by a shelter volunteer chaperone and “designer cupcakes” from Duff Goldman, aka “Ace of Cakes.” The $20 fee, which will be charged directly to your Uber account (you have to download the Uber app to participate), will be donated to a local shelter.

The promotion was not announced until Tuesday morning, and so far, demand has been very high. On Twitter, dozens of people reported trying and failing to book an Uber kitty delivery. According to a recent story on Business Insider, however, some companies have been successful: The talent placement firm On-Ramp, Stella & Dot jewelry and girls' education nonprofit have posted photos of visits with shelter kittens.

Here at IBTimes, the excitement got the best of us: We booked an Uber car but forgot to mention we were in it for the kittens. When the driver arrived and we asked where they were, he had no idea what we were talking about. (So far, we haven’t been charged.)

We have also been trying to book a kitten visit through the Uber app and keep getting the same message: "Sorry, all kittens are currently being snuggled. Please try again soon!" And try we have. Again and again and again.

We reached out to Uber and the ASPCA to arrange for an on-camera interview with a kitten and an ASPCA volunteer. Uber has not replied, but a representative from the ASPCA got back to us. She explained that as far as kittens go, they were “pretty booked at the moment” and, as an alternative, offered a kitten-free phone interview with an adoption expert and/or a Cheezburger staffer.

Asked why the ASPCA didn't use adult shelter cats in the promotion, the spokeswoman said "we have found that kittens are more easily adaptable to new environments and less prone to getting stressed. Adult cats are a little less predictable with their ability to adapt to new situations -- and limiting stress is our biggest concern when arranging these types of appearances."

Uber warned in its press release announcing the promotion that “Demand for kittens will be very high and availability very limited.”