Mary Tan

🏆 Cat Person of the Month: Advocate Mary Tan

Our Cat Person of the Month is advocate extraordinaire, Mary Tan!

Public relations, digital communications, and marketing expert Mary Tan is Principal and Chief Storyteller of pet strategic communications agency, Whisker Media. Her boutique agency specializes in marketing and public relations for pet-related businesses and animal welfare nonprofits. She started the agency with the mission of making life better for animals, especially cats.

 

Mary’s background is as an award-winning television journalist. She reported news, primarily crime, and worked as an anchor and reporter in Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Minneapolis and appeared on CNN, NBC News, and Fox News.

 

Today, Mary still regularly contributes articles to major pet magazines and websites across the country. She continues to win awards for her work, such as the 2021 Kari Winters Rescue and Rehabilitation Writing Award from the Cat Writers Association!

 

Mewla: Mary, we are so happy to have you here today! You often speak on podcasts, blogs, and in the news, and I have been lucky enough to attend your professional presentations. You are such a generous, helpful person, and so passionate about pets.  

 The Whisker Media website refers to you as “Chief Storyteller.” How do you use storytelling in your work?

 

Mary:  I use storytelling in my work every day, and it often continues into my private life with family and friends. Emotional storytelling is one of the most effective ways to get key messages out to your target audience. People will remember a story far more than facts. For example, if you’re talking about cats not getting their yearly health checkups, don’t just tell people that. Showcase that by telling the story of a cat owner who lost their cat earlier than expected because it was five years since that cat had veterinary care. That sad story will make cat owners think about their own cats.

Mary Tan
Today Mary Tan shares her home with three cats, Farley (left), Fluer (center), and Franklin (right).

Mewla: I can see how a story like that would stick in people’s minds.  How have viewers responded to news stories about animals?

 

Mary:  People love animal stories. It’s no secret that television news ratings increase by as much as 20 percent when animals are covered, especially if they’re doing something unusual. That’s why you often see stories about animals in the mainstream media when for example, a lost cat finds its former family after two years, or 47 cats are found stuffed in a hot car. These were real stories that were all over the news at one point. The second story I actually handled the public relations, I got more than 200 national and international media inquiries in the span of three days.

 

Mewla: That’s phenomenal! I know I always perk up when animals appear on the news.

 

One goal of the MewlaYoung.com website is to educate people about the healing role cats and other animals can play in supporting child, teen, and adult mental health and well-being. Do you have any suggestions for ways that people can educate kids and teens (and their parents) about pets’ role in supporting mental health?

 

Mary:  Pet Partners, the national nonprofit animal therapy registry, is actually one of my clients. One of the main things they do is go into schools to help kids and students of all ages deal with the stressors of life. School counselors and mental health professionals are always asking Pet Partners volunteers to come to their schools and help provide “petting” sessions.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pet Partners lost many of their animal therapy volunteers, so now there is a shortage of therapy animals in many communities across the United States. If anything, it would be beneficial to educate teens and their parents about the need for more therapy animals, and perhaps showcase the process of having a registered therapy animal. I believe it’s well known in the public that pets are wonderful for mental health.

 

Mewla: Sharing therapy animals is a fantastic idea, and we will get the word out about the need for cat therapy volunteers! I believe that the happiest people spend a little time every week volunteering for a cause that means something to them. 

Mary Tan
Let's get the word out: Cats are amazing!

I’m sure that many caretakers would get a lot of joy by sharing their amazing pets with others who cannot care for a pet on their own. 

 

Since most therapy animals are dogs, I’d especially love to see more therapy cats. Many people have never really been exposed to cats and still don’t understand how great cats can be. I’ve noticed that on TV and elsewhere, I occasionally hear people refer to ‘owning cats’ as a putdown. I know you’ve been working to address that bias. Can you talk about that?

Mary:   The mission of my company is to change society’s view of cats.  They make wonderful pets, are trainable, and are NOT second-class to dogs.

 

Unfortunately, cats do not have the same stature as dogs and face discrimination. Hotels will allow dogs but not cats, and landlords prohibit cats but not dogs. Demographically, the wealthier you are the more dogs you have, the poorer or less resourced you are, the more cats you own. Animal shelters often focus on dogs in their marketing because studies show dog people will not donate to animal causes if there is a cat on it, while cat people will donate to an organization no matter if there is a dog or cat on it.  In the for-profit pet business world, 90 percent of products are for dogs, since dog products are much more profitable than cat products. Dog people spend more than cat people.

 

Mewla: That’s such a shame, since cats can bring so much joy to people and are easier to care for than dogs.

 

Do you have any ideas about how cat lovers can work together to improve the image of our amazing cats and wonderful cat caretakers?

Mary:  All cat owners need to sing the praises of cat ownership and try to fight the stereotypes of the crazy cat lady, which is typically thought of as an older woman having 50 cats in an unkempt home. I used to be the public information officer for a police department, and unfortunately, every hoarding case I dealt with was cats in this exact situation.

 

One of my clients is the Amazing Acrocats, which is a cat circus that uses positive reinforcement through clicker training. The cats play instruments in a band!  It’s the cutest and shows how you can get cats to do amazing things! I specifically take clients that help fight the negative cat image. I represent social media influencers and entrepreneurs, The Two Crazy Cat Ladies, who have a wonderful line called Feline Essentials, natural remedies for cat issues. They also recently created their new cat symptom checker, which is a free wonderful resource for cat owners. 

 

I also represent cat food companies that have not reformulated their cat product from their dog version. They created the product solely based on what is best for a cat’s health first. And of course, I represent cat rescues, mostly focused on Trap-Neuter-Return or TNR.

 

Mewla: The Crazy Cat Ladies have a wonderful website, so I hope our readers check them out.  Also, we LOVE the Amazing Acrocats. Their feature on the Netflix show “Cat People” was awesome! They’ve done so much to highlight cats’ special skills. And we’ve seen TNR champion Sterling “the Trapking” Davis on “Cat People” (and even featured him in a December 2022 Cat Person). 

 

You obviously love cats very much, Mary. When did cats first come to have a special place in your heart?

 

Mary:  I come from a very traditional Asian family and my parents were not pet lovers. But my sister always was. When I was in high school, I visited her at college where she had adopted several cats. I fell in love and got three cats too, as soon as I got my first job.

Mary Tan
Farley Waddlesworth was a bottle-baby orphan

Mewla: We know you still have several cats today. Will you tell us about Farley Waddlesworth and your other fur babies? 

 

Mary:  Farley Waddlesworth is my problem child. I got him when he was a bottle-baby orphan in 2015, so he has no manners. He has issues with overstimulation and is currently on Prozac to help him with aggression. He has never bitten anyone really hard, but he growls at everyone except me. He has his moments of being a little lover though, he can be so sweet and then suddenly he’s a little devil!

Last year I adopted two little kittens, a boy and a girl. I am a vacation relief foster for the Bitty Kitty Brigade, a neonatal kitten rescue here in Minnesota. I wasn’t intending to adopt more cats, but I wanted an adventure cat so I adopted my orange tabby, Franklin.

 

Mewla: Adventure cat? Just in case anyone doesn’t know, an adventure cat is a cat who has been trained to wear a harness and leash to accompany their caretaker on excursions and be around people.

 

Mary: Right! Franklin was perfect behaviorally. I am hoping he will one day become a therapy cat through Pet Partners. He is currently a brand ambassador for several of my clients. He travels with me to all the pet trade shows and absolutely loves it. We were just in Las Vegas last week and he demanded pets from everyone at the airport.

Mewla: What fun escapades for Franklin! I bet he helped cheer up some weary travelers, lol. And you adopted a girl, too?

 

Mary: Yes—Bitty Kitty has a policy that you must adopt kittens in pairs, so I also took his sister Fleur, an all-gray kitty who is super sweet and shy. Fleur is French for flower.

 

And, of course, I have to have a dog!  Josie is my oldest pet at 15. She is part Jack Russell and part mutt. She was abused and found on the streets of San Antonio, Texas. I got her at two years old. It took a lot of love and patience to get her where she is today. She was returned to the shelter twice before I adopted her. She is no longer afraid of men and allows everyone to pet her. She is actually my quietest pet, as I have only heard her bark half a dozen times in the time I have had her. She loves the cats, of course! She and Farley are very close.

Mewla: Thank you so much for sharing about Farley, Franklin, Fleur, and Josie and all you do to help cats, Mary! Your work is so exciting and I hope will inspire others to think of new ways to promote the amazing cat!

 

You can learn more about Mary Tan’s boutique strategic communications agency, Whisker Media at:

 

Whisker Media – Bark loud. Purr smart. @  https://www.whiskermedia.com/

 

Farley Waddlesworth’s (Mary Tan’s cat) blog website is:

 

Whisker Fabulous – A blog about cats and fine feline living @ https://whiskerfabulous.com/

đŸ˜ŒđŸ˜žđŸˆ

Please leave your comments and questions about the Mary Tan article below.

 

17 thoughts on “🏆 Cat Person of the Month: Advocate Mary Tan”

  1. Leah

    Fantastic article, Mewla! It’s good to learn about Mary Tan’s work to elevate the status of cats. When I was checking into cat writing years ago, to my surprise I read that dog books were stronger in the market than cat books! I so agree that story-telling is an important part of reaching people. BTW we have a cat named Franklin, too!

    Reply
  2. Allia Zobel Nolan

    Mary Tan is not only a caring and kind cat person, she is also a powerhouse P.R. lady. She’s been instrumental in getting me some great buzz, and if you’re looking for some press for your pet-related business, she is the best there is.

    Reply
  3. Steffi Glass

    What an interesting and informative guest! Her feline friends are lucky to have her, as are all of us who care about animals.

    Reply
  4. Gina

    That’s a great story! I never knew what an adventure cat was , but I watch several on YouTube lol! Thank you and best wishes. đŸ˜»đŸ˜»đŸ˜»

    Reply
  5. DR

    Great article! Congratulations to Ms Tan on being Cat Person of the Month! Your company and clients are very interesting, plus cute cats too! – Debbie

    Reply
  6. Brad Madson

    Very cool! I saw the Acrocats show in Minneapolis and it was one of the most entertaining shows I have seen! And I love theater, sports and concerts!!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *