Coroner: Woman whose body was eaten by pets died of natural causes

A woman whose body was gnawed by her pets while it lay in her home in southern England for two months died of natural causes, a coroner ruled Tuesday. A witness at the inquest testified Janet Veal, 56, of Ringwood in Hampshire suffered from chronic pulmonary problems, the Daily Mirror reported. A police officer found Veal's body in April. There were several dead cats and dogs next to her and some cats that were still alive and had apparently survived by eating her flesh. Keith Wiseman, the coroner, said it was unclear why Veal had been unable to get help before her death. But he said one of her health problems might have rendered her unable to move. "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," he said. "This was sadly a natural death that led to very untoward consequences for Mrs. Veal." Police went to the house after neighbors reported they had not seen Veal for weeks, the London Evening Standard reported.