Cat Versus Human

If you love cats there’s a good chance you’re already a fan of “Cat Versus Human,” a blog with some of the wittiest woman-with-cat cartoons I’ve seen. And if you haven’t, you’re in for a treat.

My apartment smells like Cucumber-Basil

It turns out the blog is the creation of Yasmine Surovec, who perhaps not surprisingly looks a lot like her “Cat Versus Human” protagonist. She was born in Manila and lives with her husband in both the Bay Area, CA and Phoenix, AZ with three cats and a dog.

She was kind enough to respond to our email request for an interview, so read-on to learn more about the woman behind the blog.

See a resemblance?

IHC: Did you grow up with animals?

YS: I grew up with cats and dogs. We even had chickens and ducks sometimes! But I’ve ALWAYS had cats. My aunts would often bring home strays, and I was always around them. We’ve always had pets.

Her kitty-love was nurtured at a young age

How many pets do you currently have?

I have two adults cats, one kitten and an 95 lb dog.  Money, the boy cat, is extremely playful, and quite naughty I must say.

Money

Shelley, the girl cat, is very very sweet, and just loves being around me.

Shelley

Segway, our newest adopted kitten, has some special needs in his hip, but otherwise, he’s healthy and all over the place. He’s super sweet and adorable.

Segway

Puppy, our 95-pound dog is extremely affectionate, and all he wants is love. He has no concept of personal space or how big he is.

When did you first discover your love of drawing?

My mom is an animator and my dad is an architect, so there was a never-ending supply of paper, pencils and pens at home. My aunts were also animators, and they had a lot of artist and photographer friends. I’d get markers and sketch books and clay and Lego for birthdays and holidays. I was basically around creative people most of my life.

I tried to get away from it and took volcanology and seismology in college. While I loved it, I knew that I would be much happier being in a more creative industry. So I switched to multimedia and became an illustrator and designer.

How was “Cat Versus Human” born?

I actually have an illustration blog and online magazine. But prior to starting those projects, my intent was to put up a comic about cats. I put the latter on hold put up the illustration blog first. Then I posted one of my cat comics in my blog, and it went viral. I started Cat Versus Human a week later. Comics are my first love. As well as cats, of course. I made ‘zines and mini comics in college, so putting up a webcomic on something I loved felt natural.

I also love meeting people who have an appreciation for cats through my comics as well. It makes me quite happy to know that I’m not alone in being obsessed with cats.

What is it about cats that draws you to them?

I think it reflects on the kinds of personalities I’m drawn to. Cats are generally independent, know what they want and are pretty laid back. And it just so happens that the people I surround myself have that same personality. I also love how you have to earn a cat’s affection and trust. They just don’t easily surrender themselves to you. I actually respect that. But I do appreciate a dog’s ability to unconditionally love its pet parent. It’s pretty amazing, I must say.

What other job could you imagine having?

I love animals. If I weren’t a designer, I would’ve been a veterinarian. Or a cat whisperer.

What are your most and least favorite colors?

Faves: hot pink, red, orange, coral, navy. Non-faves: maroon

Any random dislikes?

I very much dislike bell peppers, licorice, risotto and cheesecake. When I was a child, my aunts would give me scented markers, and I would absolutely avoid the black one. Why? Because it was licorice scented.

For the record, IHC loves all things black licorice flavored. But we will forgive Yasmine this one misstep.  She rocks and she loves cats. Be sure to subscribe to “Cat Versus Humans.“