London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Lawyer tells judge 'I'm not a cat' after a Zoom filter mishap in virtual court hearing

Lawyer tells judge 'I'm not a cat' after a Zoom filter mishap in virtual court hearing

A livestream of a virtual court proceeding in Texas took an "appawling" turn when a lawyer appeared as a cat on screen.

A livestream of a virtual court proceeding in Texas took an "appawling" turn when a lawyer appeared as a cat on screen.

Judge Roy B. Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court in Texas kindly addressed the cat in the virtual room, suggesting that attorney Rod Ponton adjust his Zoom settings. The mishap on Tuesday was posted by the court's YouTube channel.
"Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings," the judge said.

The small, white kitten looked sad with its concerned eyes darting back and forth. The kitten opened its mouth to speak.
"Can you hear me judge?" Ponton said, appearing in the cat filter.

"I'm here, live, I'm not a cat," he said a few seconds later.

Attorney Rod Ponton mistakenly adopted a cat persona in a virtual court hearing in Texas on Tuesday.
Ferguson confirmed the Zoom mishap happened on Tuesday.

"It did actually happen. There was no joke involved," Ferguson told CNN via phone.
The Zoom filter was removed within seconds of that moment, Ferguson said. He added that he walked the lawyer through how to turn it off.

"When a child had been using the computer, (the child) turned on a filter," he said. "Of course, the lawyer would have no reason to even know that feature exists."

Ponton told CNN he had to use his secretary's computer for the hearing, and suspects she or her daughter had last used the cat's image.

"The cat was empathetic with me," he said. "It was as upset about it as I was."



CNN reached out to the county attorney for Presido County but did not hear back. A person who answered the phone at his office said the office was receiving a lot of calls.

Virtual hearings have been a mainstay during the pandemic and it's no different in Texas. Ferguson said Texas judges have held more than a million virtual hearings at this point.

While it may have looked very "un-purr-fessional," the judge was proud of how all sides handled the situation.
"If you watch carefully, no one mocked him or laughed at him," Ferguson said. "It just showed the professionalism and the dignity that these lawyers bring to virtual hearings."

Ferguson used his Twitter account to give the world a public service announcement about using Zoom.

"If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th (sound on)," he wrote on Twitter and posted a link to the video of the hearing.

Even Ponton saw the value in his brief stint as a feline.

"At first I was a little upset about it but as I realized that it was a viral story I tried to laugh along with the rest of the country," he said. "I think we all need a little humor after the rough luck we've had the last few months."

This tale of cat fun isn't the only video mishap to happen during the pandemic. A reporter in North Carolina for CNN affiliate WLOS broadcasted live on his station's Facebook page when a series of filters popped up. From looking like a wizard to having googly eyes on screen, the reporter carried on as a consummate professional.

Even the famous are known to make the casual Zoom slipup. Comedian Tiffany Haddish had to use the restroom during a video call and did not realize other callers could see her.

So please, heed this advice: Check your filters first, then Zoom on, my furry friends.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×