Trying to find something to write about that sells is always one of my stumbling blocks. You always hear it being said, that inspirations lies at your feet or, on this one particular day, my cat Cici draped across the top of my keyboard. And that’s when it clicked. Why not try an article on a cat? After all I am a proud owner and one who has gone through enough adventures with Cici to share my knowledge with others.

Reflecting on times gone by, there were the obvious health issues, behavior, grooming, training (well, maybe not that), breed profile, scientific developments, gadgets and then the personal essay submissions.

Next, I took a look at the various cat magazines and found that most of the larger magazines were open to submissions and had online writers’ guidelines. Shortly thereafter, Cici yawned and jumped down, making her way towards the garden. That was it! I was going to write an article on cats and the garden.

There were huge amounts of material ready to be sourced on the Internet. Who knew cats and the garden were such a big topic? The piece started to take shape and was really interesting to write. I developed a query and sent it out.

One response stated they had an in-house writer who handles cats and the garden, another said no thanks and another stated that if I could furnish a photograph with the piece they might just be interested. So, with my digital camera in hand out I went into the garden with Cici to get a photo to illustrate a cat enjoying the garden. I sent the photograph together with the article and the next thing I knew the piece was accepted and scheduled for publication in Cat World, one of the UK’s best selling cat magazines.

Nadia Ali is a Freelance Writer who has written on pets and animals for C+C Pets, Cat World, Simple Joy and Wee Ones Magazine.