Actress daughter of legendary Hollywood parents reveals extraordinary offer to get beloved cat back

An actress from a prominent Hollywood family claims she has spent more than two years trying to reunite with her beloved cat, Sheila — even offering the shelter caring for him $50,000 for his return.

Katharine Towne, 47, the daughter of Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown Robert Towne and Hitchcock actress Julie Payne, claims she entrusted Sheila to Santé D’Or Foundation in the spring of 2024 after developing a debilitating neuromuscular disease and suffering repeated bouts of sepsis, mounting medical bills and housing instability.

The actress – who appeared in Mulholland Drive, What Lies Beneath, She’s All That and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and was married to Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam – even sent a letter in June 2025 from her attorney, Bruce Wagman of Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila LLP, offering to donate $50,000 to the rescue if Sheila is returned to her as part of a confidential settlement.

“Sheila was her primary source of comfort and emotional support through these years,” Wagman wrote.

“The sudden and permanent loss of this bond – particularly under circumstances that lacked transparency and compassion – has caused lasting harm.”

The June 2025 letter says Towne remains “very anxious to recover Sheila” and is willing to enter into a confidential agreement that would include releases of liability in exchange for the cat’s return, allowing “everyone [to] put the matter behind them, without further legal involvement or dispute.”

Wagman said the ordeal has had a “devastating emotional impact” on Towne.

The 47-year-old actress has endured “multiple life-threatening health crises” in recent years, including five bouts of sepsis, and remains “severely immunocompromised” because of a neuromuscular disease, according to the letter.

The letter says Towne believed Santé D’Or was a volunteer-run organization and that she placed her trust in members of the rescue.

Towne hopes the foundation will “be willing to take accountability for the actions and outcomes that have profoundly impacted her well-being, and to reflect on how its policies and practices might better support not only the animals in its care, but also the vulnerable people who love them,” according to the attorney.

Wagman also wrote that Towne continues to have “deep respect for the mission of rescue work and the efforts of organizations like Santé D’Or,” saying that is why she made what he described as a “significant donation in good faith.”

“Her sincere hope is that this can be resolved compassionately and privately,” the letter states.

The attorney added that Towne “has made every effort to handle this situation discreetly and respectfully” and had not taken the dispute public despite what he described as “significant emotional distress and a strong desire for accountability.”

Wagman noted that he first contacted Santé D’Or about the matter in February 2025 but said he had received no response before sending the June 2025 letter.

The letter further alleges Towne had hoped the matter could be resolved “privately through dialogue and shared understanding,” but that she has been “disheartened by the lack of follow-up and flexibility thus far, especially given the compassionate mission of the rescue.”

When contacted by The California Post, Santé D’Or Foundation declined to discuss Towne’s specific case.

“However, we can share that our rescue does not offer temporary foster care as a service,” the foundation said.

The foundation added that it does not disclose information regarding surrenders, foster placements or adopters to unrelated third parties.

Towne has previously said she rescued Sheila when the gray-and-white kitten was just two days old and raised him for the next seven years, describing him as far more than a pet and an emotional lifeline during some of the darkest periods of her life.

She has said she repeatedly sought to be reunited with Sheila and that the loss of the cat compounded an already devastating period marked by serious illness.

“I was devastated by the loss of my father, struggling severely with my health, and trying to get my cat of nearly a decade back,” Towne previously said.

Her search also unfolded alongside another profound loss. On July 1, 2024, Towne’s father, Robert, died at age 89 while she was still hoping to be reunited with Sheila.

She has since launched the Instagram campaign @aboynamedsheila, where she shares photographs and memories of Sheila while appealing to the public for information that could help bring him home more than two years after they were separated.

“I asked for him back before he was adopted,” Towne previously said. “That’s what makes this so devastating.”