She's Got Good Cat Karma

Not long after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area, Nancy Maki flew down to the region to help rescue animals that had become separated from their homes.

"I couldn't stand to see the images'' on television of stranded animals, in some cases sitting on the roofs of partially submerged cars.

She helped rescue dogs, cats, even deer. In one week, she helped facilitate 16 rescues.

And when she returned to her Grafton home, she realized the amount of animals she could help rescue right in her own home area.

That led to Karma Kats, a cat rescue organization. She serves as its sole proprietor.

She rescues cats from unworkable situations, rehabilitates them by socializing them and/or providing spay/neuter services, then "rehomes'' them, placing them in a situation where the cat can flourish.

She has placed 350 cats in three years.

She tends to hear about cats that need new homes through word of mouth from animal lovers who hear of situations where Maki's help is needed.

"They love the cats, and they know I love them,'' she said.

She is currently caring for Oliver, a large, handsome male orange cat with a large personality. Oliver is an "alpha male'' and would do well with a single man or a couple, or with a family with older children.

"He wouldn't be good with kids who want to dress him up and wheel him around in a buggy,'' she said, laughing.

She is also caring for Phantom and Crinkle, a pair of 10-year-olds who have lived together their entire lives. Their owners recently surrendered them, and they are slowly acclimating to their new surroundings.

Phantom is an 18-pound Maine Coon with black and white markings and a sweet personality. Crinkle is a tortoise-shell female who is shy with people at first, but will warm up over time.

They need to go to a home together, Maki said.

Anyone interested in learning more about her organization, or helping her, can email her at kennedy.maki@yahoo.com.

She also encourages people to make even a small step toward helping animals.

"Anyone can do it,'' she said. "You find a cat out back, you vet them, find them a home and you've saved a soul.''