A grief-stricken pet owner killed himself because he struggled to cope with the death of his beloved cat, an inquest heard. Bachelor Michael McAleese, 44, was devastated after 13-year-old tabby cat Sophie died in his arms after suffering a stroke.
The recluse - who was not known by his neighbours - was so traumatised by the loss that the dead cat 'slept' on his bed for three days afterwards. Mr McAleese then told a man who came to collect Sophie for cremation that he would kill himself. Five days after the cat's death Mr McAleese posted a moving video in the moggy's memory on YouTube, which featured pictures of her backed with sad violin music.
Unemployed Mr McAleese captioned the video with: 'This is in her memory. She was such a wonderful little cat. 'This is a montage tribute to my beloved Sophie cat. I loved her so much and still do.' Mr McAleese's body was found eight days later on December 21 last year at his rented lodgings in Poole, Dorset. A post mortem examination revealed Mr McAleese had taken an overdose.
