In late 1975, actress Robin Strasser was offered a long-term contract with the series to take up the role but declined upon the knowledge that Kavanaugh would be fired to accommodate the recast.

Cathy is initially introduced as the unseen child daughter of Llanview Hospital chief-of-staff Dr. Jim Craig (originally, Robert Milli) in 1968.

Cathy (Levitt) rebelled against Jim (now, Nat Polen onward) and Anna by using drugs, eventually becoming an addict and killing her dealer Artie Duncan (John Cullum) in an LSD-fueled maniacal episode.

[4][5] She (Kavanaugh) soon begins reporting stories for The Banner when Victoria "Viki" Lord Burke (Erika Slezak) hires her, becoming the character's first active nemesis.

Adding to Cathy's emotional strife was the fact that Viki became pregnant herself, and gives birth to baby boy Kevin Lord Riley that year,[8] but the child does not inherit the heart condition that plagued Megan.

[10] Amy Levitt's portrayals of an increasingly drug-addled Cathy earned national coverage by media outlets who praised the show for its realistic showcase of addiction and drug rehabilitation.