Chelah Horsdal, who’s perhaps better known as Cat Montgomery on “When Calls the Heart,” talked to My Devotional Thoughts about her decision to step away from this Hallmark role despite her love for it. Horsdal made the decision to leave the show in 2015 when she chose to not return for the second season, but her reasons for leaving have largely been a mystery until now, as she chose to open up about her choice in an interview.
While there’s always a possibility that characters that left the show in the past could make another appearance, similar to Lori Loughlin’s decision to return to “When Calls the Heart,” Horsdal seems unlikely to return given her reasons for leaving in the first place. On the bright side, this choice came from a feeling of completion for her character, Cat Montgomery, rather than any problems with the cast and crew.
Horsdal Felt that Cat’s Role was Complete
Cat Montgomery was a widow and mother of three in “When Calls the Heart” who was friends with the show’s leading character, Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow). She was a religious woman who taught Sunday School and valued fostering a sense of community with her neighbors.
Horsdal loved Cat and was thankful that the writers were able to create a character that viewers connected with even without making that character one of the show’s leads, but she told My Devotional Thoughts that she didn’t feel like there was a defined place in the story for a character like Cat, so she chose not to return for the second season.
Despite enjoying the character and the show’s narrative that revolved around women banding together to care for each other and their children, Horsdal didn’t see a place for Cat in the show’s future. However, she mentioned that she hopes that the show continues running for the foreseeable future, a wish that looks like it’ll come true as “When Calls the Heart” has been renewed into 2027.
Who’s Not Coming back For ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 14
Characters come and go on shows that reach the number of seasons that “When Calls the Heart” has reached, and that means that not every character seen in season 13 will be returning in season 14.
Melissa Gilbert won’t return as Georgie McGill, and Samantha Ferris won’t be returning as Maisie Hickam. Both actresses were told that this choice to not bring their characters back for the new season was due to budget issues.
While that’s what has been confirmed for characters that won’t return, a few other character statuses remain uncertain. For now, it’s a mystery if Brooke Shields (playing Charlotte Thornton) or Kayla Wallace (playing Fiona Miller) will be returning in the new season, as no information about their characters has been revealed so far.
More details about returning characters could come soon with production set to start this month, and possibly having already started. Otherwise, the next season is currently scheduled to air in 2027, in which case the details regarding the cast will be revealed in the process of watching what happens next in Hope Valley.
