Those are awful "cat and person" portraits.

The cats are obviously engaged with an off-screen handler and not the subject so it does not come across like a person and their companion animal.

The off-screen handler shows up in most animal performances, there is a scene D-movie Devil Dog where the family dog leads the members of a satanic coven to a pentacle and it's obvious the dog is following a handler (Satan?) and being submissive, not dominant.