Catopia Cat Café, a beloved local establishment in Albuquerque dedicated to rescuing cats and finding them homes, recently faced a significant setback due to a delivery mix-up. The café, located near Wyoming Boulevard and Paseo del Norte, reported a loss of over $2,600 in donated cat food. This loss occurred because packages intended for Catopia were mistakenly delivered to a UPS store across the street, where they were treated as unclaimed and eventually discarded.
Impact on Catopia’s Mission
Since its opening in January 2019, Catopia Cat Café has successfully facilitated the adoption of approximately 2,200 cats. Owner Sandy Dierks expressed her dismay upon discovering the error. She first became aware of the issue when an employee at the UPS store recognized her phone number and informed her about the undelivered packages. The mistake involved monthly deliveries of specialized Science Diet cat food, intended for Catopia, being sent to the wrong address since November 2022.
Dierks emphasized the importance of every donation, stating, “It’s not a small loss, it’s a huge loss. And in rescue, everything counts.” The café relies heavily on donations to care for the cats, and the loss of these resources has been a significant blow. Dierks noted that the café could have used the food to provide more medical care for the cats if they hadn’t needed to purchase additional food.
Response and Resolution
In response to the situation, UPS offered Catopia $300, which Dierks felt was insufficient given the extent of the loss. She acknowledged that while mistakes happen, the repeated errors over 41 deliveries were particularly frustrating. The address issue has since been corrected, and future packages are being sent to the correct location. Dierks also encourages donors to notify Catopia when they send supplies, allowing the staff to track deliveries more effectively.
Casey Sorrell, community and public relations manager for UPS, stated that the store followed its policy regarding unclaimed mail and packages. Despite attempts to contact the business listed on the packages, the store was unable to reach anyone.
Dierks hopes this incident serves as a reminder for people to follow up on their donations, especially when recipients might not be aware of incoming gifts. For Catopia, every donation is crucial, and the community’s support is deeply appreciated.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
