{"id":2484028,"date":"2026-07-01T20:22:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2484028"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:22:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:22:51","slug":"hollywood-actress-claims-foundation-wrongly-rehomed-her-rescue-cat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/hollywood-actress-claims-foundation-wrongly-rehomed-her-rescue-cat\/","title":{"rendered":"Hollywood actress claims foundation wrongly rehomed her rescue cat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F06%2Fnewspress-collage-8dzdx6i3q-1782862711328.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall%261782848405\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>An actress from a prominent Hollywood family claims she has spent more than two years trying to reunite with her beloved cat, Sheila \u2014 even offering the shelter caring for him $50,000 for his return.<\/p>\n<p>Katharine Towne, 47, the daughter of<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/07\/02\/entertainment\/robert-towne-oscar-winning-writer-of-chinatown-dead-at-89\/\"> Oscar-winning screenwriter of Chinatown Robert Towne <\/a>and Hitchcock actress Julie Payne, claims she entrusted Sheila to Sant\u00e9 D\u2019Or Foundation in the spring of 2024 after developing a debilitating neuromuscular disease and suffering repeated bouts of sepsis, mounting medical bills and housing instability.<\/p>\n<p>The actress \u2013 who appeared in Mulholland Drive, What Lies Beneath, She\u2019s All That and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/01\/05\/entertainment\/charlie-hunnams-girlfriend-begged-him-to-stop-using-ed-gein-voice-at-home\/\">was married to Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam<\/a> \u2013 even sent a letter in June 2025 from her attorney, Bruce Wagman of Riley Safer Holmes &amp; Cancila LLP, offering to donate $50,000 to the rescue if Sheila is returned to her as part of a confidential settlement.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Kate Towne, Robert Towne and Charlie Hunnam during Special Screening of \u201cNicholas Nickleby\u201d in Los Angeles <span class=\"credit\">WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSheila was her primary source of comfort and emotional support through these years,\u201d Wagman wrote. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sudden and permanent loss of this bond \u2013 particularly under circumstances that lacked transparency and compassion \u2013 has caused lasting harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The June 2025 letter says Towne remains \u201cvery anxious to recover Sheila\u201d and is willing to enter into a confidential agreement that would include releases of liability in exchange for the cat\u2019s return, allowing \u201ceveryone [to] put the matter behind them, without further legal involvement or dispute.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wagman said the ordeal has had a \u201cdevastating emotional impact\u201d on Towne.<\/p>\n<p>The 47-year-old actress has endured \u201cmultiple life-threatening health crises\u201d in recent years, including five bouts of sepsis, and remains \u201cseverely immunocompromised\u201d because of a neuromuscular disease, according to the letter.<\/p>\n<p>The letter says Towne believed Sant\u00e9 D\u2019Or was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/11\/us-news\/pet-charity-quits-los-angeles-after-city-hits-them-with-huge-bill\/\">a volunteer-run organization <\/a>and that she placed her trust in members of the rescue.<\/p>\n<p>Towne hopes the foundation will \u201cbe 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,\u201d according to the attorney.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Katharine Towne\u2019s missing cat Sheila  <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/aboynamedsheila<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Wagman also wrote that Towne continues to have \u201cdeep respect for the mission of rescue work and the efforts of organizations like Sant\u00e9 D\u2019Or,\u201d saying that is why she made what he described as a \u201csignificant donation in good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer sincere hope is that this can be resolved compassionately and privately,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n<p>The attorney added that Towne \u201chas made every effort to handle this situation discreetly and respectfully\u201d and had not taken the dispute public despite what he described as \u201csignificant emotional distress and a strong desire for accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wagman noted that he first contacted Sant\u00e9 D\u2019Or about the matter in February 2025 but said he had received no response before sending the June 2025 letter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Towne claims the incident has left her devasted <span class=\"credit\">Instagram\/aboynamedsheila<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The letter further alleges Towne had hoped the matter could be resolved \u201cprivately through dialogue and shared understanding,\u201d but that she has been \u201cdisheartened by the lack of follow-up and flexibility thus far, especially given the compassionate mission of the rescue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When contacted by The California Post, Sant\u00e9 D\u2019Or Foundation declined to discuss Towne\u2019s specific case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, we can share that our rescue does not offer temporary foster care as a service,\u201d the foundation said.<\/p>\n<p>The foundation added that it does not disclose information regarding surrenders, foster placements or adopters to unrelated third parties.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was devastated by the loss of my father, struggling severely with my health, and trying to get my cat of nearly a decade back,\u201d Towne previously said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Katharine Towne  <span class=\"credit\">WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Towne has launched a campaign to find Sheila <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Her search also unfolded alongside another profound loss. On July 1, 2024, Towne\u2019s father, Robert, died at age 89 while she was still hoping to be reunited with Sheila.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked for him back before he was adopted,\u201d Towne previously said. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes this so devastating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An actress from a prominent Hollywood family claims she has spent more than two years trying to reunite with her beloved cat, Sheila \u2014 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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2484029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[363927,21741,22860,390620],"class_list":["post-2484028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-cat","tag-entertainment","tag-hollywood","tag-lost"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Hollywood-actress-claims-foundation-wrongly-rehomed-her-rescue-cat.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484028"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484030,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484028\/revisions\/2484030"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}