13 Aug 2013 15:10

A cat lover was eaten by her beloved pets after her dead body lay undiscovered in her home for several weeks.

Fifty-six-year-old Janet Veal's body was found by police "gnawed and eaten" on her kitchen floor in Ringwood, Hants, several weeks after she died.

During an inquest at Southampton Coroner's Court, police told how they used a ladder to get into Mrs Veal's semi-detached home after being called out by concerned neighbours in April.

Once inside, they found a number of dead animals including a cat and a dog alongside Mrs Veal's body.

But officers soon made a further grim discovery, after finding that cats that were still alive had become so hungry they had "gnawed" away at their one-time owner's body to stay alive.

Pathologist Dr Vipul Foria told the inquest a post mortem examination had proved "extremely difficult" due to the extent Mrs Veal's body had decomposed, but it was thought chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - a chest condition - could have been the cause of death.

Coroner Keith Wiseman recorded a verdict of death by natural causes, saying: "Exactly what happened to render Mrs Veal unable to assist herself or get any kind of help is unclear.

"Obviously one or other of the chest conditions might have disabled her but it is not at all clear.

"There is no indication otherwise and no suggestion, if I can go to the complete extreme, any suggestion that she had been in any way attacked by the animals while she was alive.

"This was sadly a natural death that led to very untoward consequences for Mrs Veal.

"This was because of her inability to get any assistance for herself. She was confined in the way that she was in this property with a number of animals that had not been fed for quite a long period of time."

He added: "This too was a distressing experience because it was clear that certain parts of Mrs Veal's body were missing and had, the officer formed the view, effectively been gnawed and eaten away by the animals.