Leash your cats to your own home!!

Around Aug 2024, i bought home a kitty which my collegemate asked to take care of until she could come take him to her place. (I lived near and the kitty was hungry so he came with me). She later backed out and said her mum wouldn't let her take care of a cat. Tried to find him a good home but nothing good showed up And that's how I came to take care of barb. It was hard at first since it was all new and stressful to me but barb was a special cat. He was very playful, active, curious and had a lot of love to express to me and my family. I was always worried that he might leave one day and didn't try to attach myself to him. But very recently i have in and decided he is going to be mine all his life and I would give him all the love and care i could. Two months ago the neighbours cat's kitten started showing up and would always call him until he goes to play there. When he ignored her she comes here to play and takes him away after getting him to play. Sometimes he would stay out at night and play with the kitten and another big cat which is also an offspring of the neighbours cat.I made sure with the neighbours if barb frequenting their place was fine with them too. Then as usual one night since I was shifting stuff barb had to stay out, the big cat was there too. In the morning I slept in. I even had a weird dreamt where Barb ran off into the darkness and he didn't come back when I kept calling for him. Barb would always call for me by 5 am every morning for food. But he didn't. I got up immediately from bed and called for barb he didn't show up. I asked neighbour lady 1 if she has seen him and she said she hadn't seen him since morning. Then suddenly she asks me if I wanted the kitten that they have and i said no I only want my kitty. Even asked neighbour lady 2 and she too told me the same.I kept looking and calling for him , asked the neighbours that lived in the back but he didn't show up. I thought of going and checking the trash dump infront of our home but thought nothing bad would have happened and just left it. In the after noon I confirmed with an uncle living behind our house about barbs last whereabouts, he didn't know the specific time but he said morning when he was going to open shop, so probably around 7. Every single other cat in the neighborhood showed but not barb. I got very worried even got food to lure him with the sent but nothing. Then around 8pm i asked neighbour lady 2 again and she said he hasn't shown up and maybe something but him. Just then neighbour lady 1 saw me having a conversation with her and tells me this, "hey I did see your cat this morning. He's dead. The garbage cleaner tossed him into the garbage truck". To which neighbour lady 2 acted surprised... I couldn't focus and when back inside after jodding my head and then came back outside and confirmed if she saw barb. Barb was the only cat here with a collar and a bell. And she said it was definitely him. And she told me that she didn't tell me earlier because i worry...? She even said that the big cat is going to give birth soon and I can just grow one of those. Like how can you replace a pet so easily?? I cried a lot that night. And felt so guilty. I felt so lost and empty. My precious kitty was dead and thrown into the disgusting plot filled with trash and flies and maggots and heaven knows what!! (Sometimes people disgust me with how they trash society) Next day I was talking to neighbour 2 while giving the cat the remaining catfood i had and she blurts out that she knew and morning and again says that they didn't tell me because I would worry. I felt upset like how can they decide if I should know or not know about my pet just because they feel like I will get upset? Same time my fav kid from the neighbours showed up and he told me that he saw barb playing with their kitty at 6 am when he came to visit the other kitten. This rules out the neighbours not seeing barb since morning. Barb has to go inside of their house and to the terrace and they would hear the bell!! I told my sister this and the friends who asked me about him. Me, my mum, my sister, my brother in-law, my friends are doubting these neighbours. We are convinced that they are hiding many things and are trying to save face. My mum doesn't like pets and especially cats. But even she softened to barb. She couldn't sleep all night after hearing he is gone. She even said it feels empty without him running around causing mischief. My sister who has allergies to cats also was filled with so much grief. Even her husband teared up. Strangely barb didn't like the neighbours petting him but he was ok with my sister and brother in law. Mum would giving him scoldings for being naughty. And the neighbours are being this way...it's shocking to us. We knew they weren't to be trusted but to this extent? Am I delusional for this? Just what am I supposed to do in this situation? I can't even complain to animals rights without proof. And pls leash your cats to your plot/compound of left outside to play. They are not safe from your neighbours at all!! TLDR : I suspect the neighbours did something to my pet and tossed into the trash plot and lied to hide it.