--- title: "Lawyer Accidentally Logs Into Court With Zoom Filter Turning Him Into Kitty Cat" description: "Texas lawyer Rod Ponton learned a very important lesson on Tuesday after joining a live court session while having a Zoom filter on that turned his face into an animated kitty cat. Videos of the hilarious event went viral on social media, showing the sad, teary-eyed kitten face marionetting Ponton’s real-life movements and facial expressions. […]" date: "2021-02-09" modified: "2021-02-10" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/lawyer-court-zoom-filter-kitty-cat" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "court case" - "lawyer" - "the digest" - "zoom" --- # Lawyer Accidentally Logs Into Court With Zoom Filter Turning Him Into Kitty Cat ![A Texas lawyer learned his lesson after joining a live court session while having a Zoom filter on that turned his face into an animated kitty cat.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Cat Injunction Texas lawyer Rod Ponton learned a very important lesson on Tuesday after accidentally joining a live court session with a Zoom filter on that turned his face into an animated kitty cat. Videos of the hilarious event [went viral]() on social media, showing the sad, teary-eyed kitten face marionetting Ponton's real-life movements and facial expressions — an entertaining example of the way we technology has come to mediate our social, professional and even legal encounters. The judge was understandably perplexed by the feline surprise. "Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings," said judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th judicial district of Texas. https://youtu.be/KxlPGPupdd8 ## Zoom Feline-y Making the event even more hilarious was the fact that Ponton clearly had no idea how to turn the adorable face filter off. "I’m here live. I’m not a cat," he said. "I can see that," Ferguson replied. "IMPORTANT ZOOM TIP: If a child used your computer, before you join a virtual hearing check the Zoom Video Options to be sure filters are off," Ferguson [later tweeted](). " This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th \[judicial district of Texas\]." ## Ca-meow-flage Ferguson was impressed the court proceedings didn't devolve into guffawing and giggles. "Everyone involved handled it with dignity, and the filtered lawyer showed incredible grace," Ferguson tweeted in a follow-up. "True professionalism all around!" As [*PCMag* points out](), Ponton was likely using a Snap Filter that can integrate with Zoom Video Options. **READ MORE:** [Face Filter Turns Lawyer Into a Kitten During Zoom Court Hearing]() \[*PC Mag*\] **More on Zoom:** *[Here’s How to Turn Into Deepfake Elon Musk During Zoom Meetings]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()