22 Cringe JC Penny Portraits of Pawrents and their Pampered Cat Children

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Mar 10, 2026 3:00 PM EDT

It might not be the holidays, and it might not be the 1990s anymore, but that does not mean that a JC Penny photoshoot with your cat is not on the cards, at least for these pawrents.

Who would have thought that in today's modern landscape there would still be a need, or any kind of demand for the photoshoots that JC Penny had become famous for over the years. Perhaps it is a reaction to the online trends of cringey photos of couples in celebration of their engagements or soon to be born babies.

But whatever it is that has drawn millennials back to JC Penny, the fact that they have brought cats with them is simply sublime and we are delighted to have this collection of cute cats posing for cringey photos with their pawrents in what must have been some of the strangest encounters to go down at JC Penny. So settle in and get ready for a collection of cuddly cats who look like they would rather be in a china shop with a bunch of dogs than in another JC Penny pic.

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via c00kie_
Ah, what a classic look. One that has been seen upon the faces of countless hooman children when their parents force them into taking photos at JC Penny. The look is one that says ‘Really mother? This is what you are subjecting me to? I haven’t held a basket ball in my life, no one is going to believe that this is a serious image’. But mom does not care, all she sees is her cat cutie dressed in a basket ball uniform. In her head she is screaming in joy about how proud she is of her little ‘baller’.
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via ZeldaIsis
Judging by the look on this cat’s face it was tricked into this JC Penny photoshoot under the pretense that they were going to pick out some new cat food. Sure, the cat would have thought it was strange that his momma dressed him up in a festive Xmas sweater, but the promise of new food was too enticing to pay too much mind to the sweater. And in this exact moment we see the penny dropping for this poor cat who has finally come to understand that he has been brought to be photographed in matching outfits with his cat momma. Oh the embarrassment.
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