Yesterday was absolutely a dark day because of the start of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial. But something else was happening simultaneously on the internet: Cat Lawyer. A judge in Texas posted a video of a Zoom mishap with a virtual hearing. One of the lawyers, Rod Ponton, was allegedly using a computer not his own – an unlikely story, but whatever – and the computer had a cat filter on it, rendering Ponton into a fluffy, sad-eyed kitten for a legal hearing.
Judge Roy B. Ferguson has the patience of a man who has seen it all, from cat filters to Photoshop disasters to Snapchats gone awry. The funniest parts are honestly when Cat Ponton’s eyes look downward to an “oh sh-t” and then the down right insistence of “I’m prepared to go forward with it. I’m here live. I’m not a cat.” The kitten was prepared to represent his client!!
Vice reached out to Ponton and his excuse was: “Oh, that was just a mistake by my secretary. I was using her computer and for some reason she had that filter on. I took it off and replaced it with my face. It was a case involving a man trying to exit the United States with contraband and contraband cash. All it was was a mistake. It was taken off and we had the hearing as normal.” Likely story, blaming the secretary.
And because we can’t just enjoy Cat Lawyer without finding out something horrible about him, here you go.
Funny story about Rod Ponton, the "Zoom cat lawyer" that everyone's talking about today.
I reported on him in 2014, when he was a local prosecutor used the power of his office — and roped in federal law enforcement — to harass a former lover. https://t.co/fIuK4hbHfJ
— Anthony L. Fisher (@anthonyLfisher) February 10, 2021
Screencaps courtesy of video.
Way to ruin it, Anthony 😾
Right?? There goes my simple enjoyment at the video.
I was LOL-ing so hard and then – 🙁
Well thanks, Anthony!
I mean I assume everyone in that video voted for Trump. Sometimes you just gotta enjoy things in a surface level and not dig too deep.
This.
Yep.
Not necessarily. I live in Texas, plenty of us voted for Biden. Of course they are all white men so, yeah, it’s likely.
Not surprised. That cat looks guilty.
he totally does!
plus how does that even ruin anything? lawyer who is also a terrible person makes embarrassing gaffe in court. I’m good with that.
I just don’t see how the judge bought it. anyone can see that he IS a cat!
I prepared myself for something bad coming out about the cat lawyer, so now I imagine him as a sort of Dr. Evil character who can’t turn the filter off and it’s still funny to me.
True, but that explains the blaming it on the secretary part.
I literally watched this two dozen times. My hubby was laughing so hard he was gasping and needed to wipe his eyes with his shirt. I’m ignoring Anthony because 2021 has still been kind of sucky and this was hilarious. It’s not like anyone thinks the guy’s a hero. It’s just a funny video. The judge actually sold it for me. So unruffled at ‘I’m here in person. I’m not a cat.’
I’m choosing to do the same. This video is the best thing that happened in 2021.
It is making me cry laughing again. The cat looks so sad.
+1
I’ve also watched it a million times, and I laugh out loud for each! I’m not letting anything steal the joy that this brings me in these dark times. The ‘oh shit’ kitten face with those sad eyes gets me every time! “I’m not a cat!”. LMFAO!
And the judge’s answer : “…I…I can see that”
PURE JOY
SO funny
Same Courtney, I was laughing so hard I was in physical pain after watching it 6 times. I kept smacking my husband’s leg and I was crying. I don’t know if it was the stress of the day, but this is actually PAINFULLY funny hahahah.
Yes! Exactly. I watched it so many times!! The judge is so calm. Love it!
Same 🙂 Had a really late night writing something for work, doomscrolled going to bed at 2am…. actual belly laugh, best in months
It’s the sad, shaky voice that adds the icing on the cake.
Yes! When he first starts talking I completely lose it.
Yes! The little “uuuhh” moan that kitten lawyer lets out in the beginning is what broke me. I watched this on loop so many times and just laughed for the first time in so long.
I feel like such a Zoom novice because I had no idea filters like that exist. So crazy, lol.
They came out in late Dec. I was messing around with them and completely forgot that I gave myself some Dan Levy eyebrows when I normally have very pale ones and it was VERY jarring at 5:30am when I started my zoom meeting
Ha, that’s so funny. And that’s really early for Zoom meeting! I will have to check them out.
Zoom keeps on giving – first Jackie Weaver (that was brilliant!). Not sure it went viral in USA but it made everyones day in UK. And now this – kitten filter is amazing. I’m too much of a noob to find anything like that though.
Jackie Weaver is amazing! You have no authority here Jackie Weaver, no authority at all.
Lol
The Jackie Weaver thing was hilarious. I’m American but have a fondness for local British politics, lol, so I really got a kick out of it.
It was as though Martin Scorsese had directed an episode of the Vicar of Dibley.
My husband showed me this and we were killing our selves over it. I’m going to ignore the lawyer and enjoy the stupidity of the cat filter.
Thank you for this! It reminds me of Puss in boots from Shrek. The eyes! Kudos to the judge for treating it like a grown-up problem on the one hand, but also how world weary do you have to be not to crack up over that?. I would’ve been peeing myself.
So it Texas gonna be the new, ‘Florida, amirite’?
Please. No. Haven’t we suffered enough?
Can’t you consider it a step toward redemption?
When youse guys go Georgia-blue…maybe. 🤣🤣😈
This was the funniest thing I’ve seen all year. I’m still laughing. When he says that he is ready to proceed with the hearing and with the serious kitten face….hahahahhaha And yea, I assure you that older lawyers totally break their computers and have to be accommodated last-minute like this. My office used to be next to this senior lawyer that was in his early 70’s. I’d routinely have to go over to help with some computer emergency (basic email stuff usually) because he thought our IT help desk was too slow.
The “ready to proceed” is what sends me over the edge every time, too. Like he just accepts his fate as a cat lawyer. Oh my god I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.
Too bad they were able to turn it off. I would have watched the Hell out of the hearing if he had to proceed as a cat….oh my God.
It’s already gotten over 3.5 million views since yesterday! Pure joy.
I saw an interview with the lawyer. He said he went to lunch an hour later in what is a small Texas town and his phone started blowing up with calls from DC, NY, etc. He had no idea it had already started going viral. I know he’s a jerk but he had a good attitude about it, said he was glad people got a chuckle out of it.
This is hilarious. “I’m prepared to go forward with it.” LOL.
I cracked up again just reading the sad eyes description 😹 This video
Is the funniest thing I’ve seen in ages, I am ignoring the context because I need this!
This kitty video made my day yesterday. I loved the eyes! And the attorney made some comment about proceeding and I just laughed laughed. I have heard from friends that zoom court is a little nutso
The other guy in the upper right corner just kills me every time. Complete deadpan face until “I’m not a cat,” when he finally can’t stand it anymore, stares at the camera, and then cracks a smile. Too funny!
Now how many “Car filter” meetings will there be today, I wonder?
@ MsIam – Did you mean to write CAR filter? If not, that’s the funniest typo ever and I am so ready to see a car filter on my next zoom meeting lol! 😉
I laughed so hard, I had tears running down my face. Of course he would turn out to be a jerk, but Cat Lawyer helped me recover after reliving the events at the Capitol during the impeachment opening process.
I saw this yesterday and must have watched it a good 5-6 times. It’s just so funny to see this burly, Texan judge as a cute kitten. The best part is the panicked eyes and the “OH NO” expression in the kitten’s eyes. I do believe he was telling the truth about using his secretary’s computer, he even says during the zoom his assistant is trying to figure out how to the filter off lol.
But by far my favorite Zoom insanity is the story that went viral last week with a group of local British councilors in Handforth Parish starring Jackie Weaver and the rest of the gang. An amazing moment of pop culture.
OK, I just had to google this one too & OMG!!! So funny!!! A person above described it as an episode of the Vicar of Dibley as directed by Martin Scorsese. Perfect!
Laughing over Cat Lawyer & Jackie Weaver is giving me a great boost to an otherwise crummy day.
I participate in video court hearings every day and enjoyed the shit out of this yesterday. I would not have been able to keep a straight face at all if that happened during one of my hearings! Much needed levity right now
My husband is a lawyer who has been working from home since March and participates in loads of them. We had many good belly laughs over this yesterday. We also have a cat, so we are half convinced that it really was a cat. Because “I am not a cat” is exactly what a guilty cat would say…..
“I’m not a cat.” killed me. 😂😂😂
I watched it yesterday and I couldn’t stop laughing. Such a worried kitten face and he’s so lucky that the judge was understanding. We are living in extraordinary times.
I loved this video, it made me laugh so hard. I’m not even going to look at Anthony’s response. NOPE.
CBS This Morning’s Gayle King just explained that Ponton’s secretary’s 10 year old daughter had been using the computer, and mom didn’t know how to turn off the cat filter. Of course mom had no idea that anyone using her computer would be an adorable kitty. This makes so much sense in these crazy times that mom would let her kid use her work computer. Not a good idea, but moms have a lot to do, and sitting a kid at your work computer is a way to buy some time. If they didn’t have another computer in the house or other tech was being used by other kids, a parent does what they have to. I just hope that Ponton understands his secretary’s situation. He seems to. In any case, this was hilarious! He should thank her.
This video made my day. As a lawyer I was mortified for the poor cat lawyer until I found out he isn’t the nicest person, but I cannot help but loose it when the judge is calmly explaining to him to go to the right and click on the tool bar haha and when he replies “ we know” after he says I’m not a cat….I can breathe lol. So so funny.
Those eyes are killing me, lmfao. If I had been that other guy, I would’ve been laughing my ass off. Then again, I’m not a Trump supporter. I can only assume that he is. ;D
Yeah God forbid he say, ‘Oops, my bad! Meow!’
This is so much better than Toobin’s Zoom issue. Meow.
It’s weird everyone is yelling at Anthony for disclosing this cat attorney’s clear abuse of power and, um, not yelling at the actual guy who abused his power to harass an ex. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I know! Wth?
I firmly feel that all lawyers should be kittens now. Including my lawyer brother. I have watched this video so many times I cannot count!