LUCKNOW: A woman from the Amroha district in Western Uttar Pradesh failed to bear the loss of her pet cat and ended her life.
Before taking the extreme step, the woman, 36, refused to bury her cat and kept it close to her for three days, hoping it would return to life.
As per police sources, the woman allegedly hung herself in Mohalla Kot Hasanpur on Saturday night. She was mentally unstable and had been undergoing treatment in Moradabad.
While interacting with media persons, the victim’s mother said that her daughter loved the cat called Titu. “Titu's tongue turned blackish and after about 45 minutes, it died on Wednesday night at around 10 pm,” she said.
She also clarified that her daughter had not given any hint of ending her life. The relatives of the woman said that she had domesticated the cat nearly two years ago and raised it "like her own child".
The demise of the pet shattered the victim and she could not survive the grief, they said.
"She had a belief that her cat will come back to life. I told her that almost three days had passed, and now it is time to bury it, but she did not reply. She remained quiet and calm," said the distraught mother.
One of the family's neighbours said that he had seen the cat mostly staying with the woman. He claimed that the woman was married off eight-nine years ago but the marriage did not last beyond a few days.
“As a result, an emptiness had crept in her life,” said the neighbour adding that she used to find her support in the cat.
After the woman's death, the cat was finally buried in the presence of the police. As per the psychologists, the victim was probably suffering from a psychotic illness. It is a mental illness that involves a loss of contact with reality and not wanting anybody to enter their world.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)