While most of the population has somewhat gotten used to functioning online and going about their daily tasks with the help of virtual meetings, some are still struggling. After all, what was Zoom even thinking adding all those insane filters and virtual backgrounds? Shouldn’t it all be serious and stuff?

Well, a livestream of an online court proceeding in Texas, apparently, took an “appawling” turn when a lawyer appeared as a kitten on screen. The odd moment was interrupted by Judge Roy B. Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court in Texas, who kindly addressed the cat in the virtual room.

But it turned out that the attorney-turned-kitten Rod Ponton and his assistant were already working on finding out how to remove the filter.

Most importantly, Rod assured his fellow colleagues staring at his feline head that: “I’m here live. I’m not a cat.” Thanks God, Rod, we can all now sleep well.

This video of a court hearing in Texas is going viral for its unexpected guest

The attorney Rod Ponton has accidentally left a kitten filter on and he couldn’t figure out how to turn it off

Image credits: MikaelThalen

For many who believe that this pawsome mishap was intentional, Judge Roy B. Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court confirmed that it indeed happened on Tuesday. “It did actually happen. There was no joke involved,” he stated.

The Zoom feline filter was also removed moments after the incident, as Ferguson patiently walked the lawyer through turning it off. “When a child had been using the computer, (the child) turned on a filter,” he told CNN and added: “Of course, the lawyer would have no reason to even know that feature exists.”

The video has gone viral and everyone seems to have something to comment on it

Image credits: JudgeFergusonTX

Image credits: JudgeFergusonTX

Turns out the lawyer Ponton had to use his secretary’s computer for the hearing. He also explained to CNN that he 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.”

But the odd incident was handled with the most professionalism possible. Ferguson stressed the fact that “no one mocked him or laughed at him.”

The incident showed the great amount of professionalism and the dignity that these lawyers bring to virtual hearings, and the cat was no exception.

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Meanwhile, attorney Ponton felt a little upset about his mishap going viral. But he told CNN that “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. I think we all need a little humor after the rough luck we’ve had the last few months.”

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And this is not the first time people have put on miscellaneous filters during live broadcast

A similar mishap previously happened to a North Carolina TV reporter who pulled a Shaukat Yousafzai. Like the Pakistani politician, WLOS ABC 13 reporter Justin Hinton went on a live broadcast with funny Facebook filters still on.

Justin only realized something was up when the photographer he was working with for the broadcast said something about the screen having weird faces. “He didn’t elaborate so I said that it would probably go away. Needless to say, it didn’t go away,” the reporter later explained on his Facebook.

Read more about the funny viral filter mishap in our previous article right here.

Image credits: justinhintontv

Image credits: justinhintontv

Image credits: justinhintontv

Image credits: justinhintontv

Not so long ago, Pakistani politicians livestreamed an official meeting on Facebook, but forgot to turn off the cat filter

Image credits: Naila Inayat

And this boss went viral for accidentally turning herself into a potato in an online meeting

Image credits: PettyClegg

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