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Screenshot from the video

Zoom Cat Lawyer, also known as I'm Not a Cat, is an Internet meme that refers to a viral video taken from a live stream of a civil forfeiture hearing, and being held on the video conferencing application Zoom in Texas' 394th Judicial District Court. The video features an attorney named Rod Ponton, who is struggling to disable a cat filter that shows a gray tabby kitten instead of his face, making it appear as though a cat is speaking.

History

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On February 9, 2021, the YouTube channel for the 394th District Court of Texas live-streamed and published a clip entitled "Kitten Zoom Filter Mishap." The video features an attorney, Rod Ponton, who accidentally signed in with a white kitten face filter and is attempting to remove it from his Zoom application.[1] In the video, the kitten's eyes appear to dart back and forth when Ponton says, "I don't know how to remove it. I've got my assistant here and she's trying to." Ponton then attempts to move forward, saying, "I'm prepared to go forward with it." Finally, he says, "I'm here live. I'm not a cat."[2] The post later received 3.6 million views on YouTube and over 26.9 million views on Twitter.[3] Ponton told CNN and the Associated Press that he was using his assistant's 10-year-old desktop computer when he logged on to the civil forfeiture hearing.[4] Ponton claimed his secretary or her daughter had last used the image.[5]

After the clip was posted, Judge Roy Ferguson shared the clip on Twitter with a tweet being captioned as "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. This kitten just made a formal announcement on a case in the 394th."[6] Reuters reporter Lawrence Hurley later shared the clip on Twitter.[1] Canadian poet Margaret Atwood praised and also shared the tweet with a caption "I on the other hand am a cat. I just can't get this human filter off."[7] After the incident, Ponton said to The New York Times, "If I can make the country chuckle for a moment in these difficult times they're going through, I'm happy to let them do that at my expense."[2] He said to Vice, "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."[8]

Reception

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After the clip grew in popularity, several notable media outlets covered the video, including The New York Times,[2] NBC News,[9] The Wall Street Journal,[10] USA Today,[11] The Guardian,[12] ABC,[13] The Daily Dot,[14] Vice,[8] CNN,[15] and others.[4][16] Wonderland described it as one of the best memes 2021 produced.[17] Jochan Embley of Evening Standard described it as one of the "Most hilarious Zoom fails in the year".[18] Natasha Hinde of HuffPost listed it among the "most hilarious Zoom moments of all time",[19] while WPBN-TV reported that the meme would be made into a bobblehead by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.[20]

The meme also inspired a prank involving Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA.[21] In a clip in which Minnesota representative Tom Emmer appears upside-down in a virtual US Congress Committee Finance meeting, a co-attendee references the meme, stating, "at least he's not a cat".[22]

The clip also appeared in a Mike's Hard Lemonade commercial.[23]

Controversy

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Ponton is an instance of a Milkshake Duck, a person who gains popularity on social media for some positive or charming trait but is later revealed to have a distasteful history. In 2014 Ponton allegedly "used federal agents to torment a former lover with drug raids and bogus charges", which ended up "destroying her business" according to a Reason documentary.[24][25][26][27]

References

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  1. ^ a b Kornfield, Meryl; Bellware, Kim; Knowles, Hannah (February 9, 2021). "At first, cat lawyer was embarrassed. Then he realized we all could use a laugh". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Victor, Daniel (February 9, 2021). "'I'm Not a Cat,' Says Lawyer Having Zoom Difficulties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Binion, Billy (February 10, 2021). "The Zoom Cat Lawyer Used Federal Agents To Torment a Former Lover With Drug Raids and Bogus Charges". Reason. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Attorney-at-paw? Filter makes lawyer look like cat in court". Associated Press. February 10, 2021. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  5. ^ Zdanowicz, Christina (February 9, 2021). "Lawyer tells judge 'I'm not a cat' after a Zoom filter mishap in virtual court hearing". CNN. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Statt, Nick (February 9, 2021). "Zoom filter traps this lawyer as a cute cat during live court hearing". The Verge. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  7. ^ Harrison, Ellie (February 10, 2021). "Margaret Atwood has brilliant response to cat lawyer video". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Gault, Matthew; Koebler, Jason (February 9, 2021). "'I Am Not a Cat,' Lawyer Using Zoom Cat Filter Tells Judge". Vice. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  9. ^ Li, David K. (February 9, 2021). "'I'm not a cat': Video shows lawyer can't turn off kitten filter during Zoom court appearance". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Gay, Jason (February 12, 2021). "Cat Lawyers and Salad Bowl Drummers: the Enduring Case for Internet Joy". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Molina, Brett (February 10, 2021). "Want your own cat filters for your next Zoom meeting? Here's how to use them". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (February 10, 2021). "Texas lawyer, trapped by cat filter on Zoom call, informs judge he is not a cat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "Texas attorney accidentally leaves cat filter on during Zoom call: 'I'm here live, I'm not a cat!'". ABC13 Houston. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Thalen, Mikael (February 9, 2021). "'I'm not a cat': Lawyer accidentally activates kitten filter during virtual court hearing". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  15. ^ "Texas lawyer accidentally uses cat filter in Zoom call". CNN. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Collman, Ashley; Shamsian, Jacob; Fisher, Anthony L. (February 15, 2021). "The lawyer who appeared in a Zoom call as a cat says he wants to start selling merchandise". Insider. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  17. ^ "A Year In Lockdown: Most Iconic Memes This Last Year". Wonderland. March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  18. ^ Embley, Jochan (March 23, 2021). "'I'm not a cat': Most hilarious Zoom fails from the last year". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Hinde, Natasha (February 12, 2021). "The 8 Most Hilarious Zoom Moments Of All Time". HuffPost UK. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Luschek, Mat (February 18, 2021). "'I'm not a cat' Zoom meme to become a bobblehead". WPBN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  21. ^ "Of course 'Inside the NBA' had to put a cat head filter on Charles Barkley". USA Today. February 12, 2021. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  22. ^ "VIDEO: 'At least he's not a cat' - US congressman appears upside down on zoom call". The Irish Times. February 11, 2021. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  23. ^ Gianatasio, David (February 17, 2021). "'I'm Not a Cat' Guy Just Did a Mike's Hard Lemonade Ad". Muse by Clio. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  24. ^ Binion, Billy (February 10, 2021). "The Zoom Cat Lawyer Used Federal Agents To Torment a Former Lover With Drug Raids and Bogus Charges". Reason. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  25. ^ Scott, Nate (February 10, 2021). "The Cat Lawyer has been Milkshake Ducked". USA Today. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  26. ^ McCarter, Reid (February 10, 2021). "The Zoom kitten lawyer has been milkshake ducked in record time". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  27. ^ "Why does the sentence "Zoom cat lawyer got milkshake-ducked" make sense in modern English?". ABC Radio Perth. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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