Couple thank their lucky cat after £1m lottery win

A couple who scooped a £1 million lottery scratchcard prize have thanked their cat Shortcake for the win – after rushing out to buy its pet food.

Andrew and Paula Hancock, who run a catering business, forgot the cat’s dinner so Mr Hancock rushed out in his wife’s car to a petrol station to get pet food.

He also picked up a £5 Monopoly Millionaire scratchcard, winning one of the four £1 million jackpot prizes on July 24.

In the rush of excitement, Mr Hancock again forgot to buy six-year-old ginger tom Shortcake’s food so the pet, known in the family as “Shorty”, ended up with ham later that evening.

After getting home and telling his family, the winning ticket was hidden in a Gordon Ramsay cookbook for safe-keeping until National Lottery’s officials could validate the win.

Andrew, 46, and Paula, 43, who live near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, now plan on enjoying some time off, with a holiday to Australia and other trips abroad.

The only purchase they have made so far is a new phone for their 12-yearold son Xavier, although Mrs Hancock admitted that she “couldn’t get off Rightmove” for the first few days.

There are also plans to pay off their mortgage, get a new car and take their judo green-belt son to see the Olympics in Japan.

Mr Hancock said: “If it wasn’t for Shortcake, we wouldn’t be millionaires.”

Asked if the affectionate pet had brought them much luck before, Mr Hancock said: “Not particularly. He’s just a normal cat.”

The couple also added that the feline “does like a fight”, joking that he “keeps everybody up at night”.

However, Mr Hancock said the much-loved family pet would now “absolutely” be getting an upgrade on his food choices.

Mrs Hancock said: “Yes, we’re very thankful to Shortcake. And Andy’s memory – or lack of it.”