An unexpected delight ensued for one Texas attorney when they accidentally signed onto their Zoom call with a cat filter enabled. His newfound appearance as an adorable feline has since gone viral.
But Rod Ponton of Presidio County did not seem phased by this embarrassing misstep and continued with his hearing while the judge and other lawyers laughed in amusement.
What Happened?
Presidio County attorney Rod Ponton was representing the government during a civil forfeiture case when during a Zoom call from Texas’ 394th Judicial District Court he accidentally signed on with a cat filter – becoming instantly transformed into a feline lawmaker!
Ponton had no idea what to do, so he simply stood there watching as other lawyers on the video conference began laughing at his digital mishap. Once instructed by a judge to check his filters, Ponton managed to eliminate the kitten and return to a more normal appearance.
Ponton’s misfortune provided much-needed comic relief during a difficult period for our country, and is now immortalized in meme-worthy video. Ponton even tweeted out a link to this clip as a reminder to everyone joining any Zoom calls to ensure all filters have been switched off before dialing into any meeting.
The Cat Filter
Rod Ponton is an attorney from Texas, not a cat, yet was left puzzled when his Zoom call went awry and he appeared as a white kitten in a Zoom call. Needless to say, this mishap went viral instantly!
Ponton used an unclear filter in his video that caused him to look so feline; it could be one of the new deepfake filters or perhaps Live Cam Avatar – an old piece of software installed preinstalled on Dell laptops years ago and available online as a download now.
Zoom software does not enable users to layer an avatar like the kitten on their face and stream it live – instead it only permits recording videos and sharing screens during Zoom calls. Yet curious filter fans can find it online and download it to PCs (Mac users should note). Once a Zoom meeting concludes, any downloaded filters should disappear from your PC; in this instance they were likely gone when Zoom ended its meeting!
The Judge
Court hearings are serious affairs with lives at stake on the line; yet somehow an attorney for Presidio County, Texas was able to go viral for his inability to shut off a cat filter during a Zoom call.
The video features Rod Ponton as a gray tabby kitten, his large eyes staring back up at the camera and their expression one of terror, regret and shame. A second lawyer identified as Gibbs Bauer looks equally horrified by what’s unfolding before their very eyes.
Roy Ferguson eventually walks Ponton through the process of unplugging the filter, and hearing resumed as normal. Later, Ferguson used the video as a teaching moment: if your child has ever used your computer before joining an online hearing session, check Zoom video options to be sure all filters are off.” His warning could not have been more apt; since its debut, the video has amassed over six million views on Twitter alone!
Ponton’s Response
As soon as he sees the cat filter appear on his screen, Ponton is stunned. After unsuccessfully trying to turn it off himself, he informs the judge that he is not a cat and must present during proceedings accordingly.
Video footage quickly went viral, with news outlets around the world covering Ponton’s embarrassing zoom call experience as an attorney who was also cat sitting. Ponton seemed unperturbed by it all and took comfort knowing that most could relate.
Ponton quickly rose to social media celebritydom after this event, amassing over three million Instagram followers and 7.6 million TikTok accounts. She has appeared in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Skims and Love Shack Fancy while even being chosen to pose in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022! Since then she has become known as an expert fitness guru with numerous endorsements behind her back – her latest workout video showcased a wide range of exercises designed to burn calories while building muscle mass.