A couple scooped a £1m National Lottery scratchcard prize thanks to their pet cat.

Andrew Hancock bought the winning scratchcard when he drove to a petrol station to buy food for six-year-old Shortcake — after forgetting to pick it up on his way home from work.

Andrew and his wife, Paula, who run Jasper’s catering business, said if it wasn’t for Shortcake they wouldn’t be millionaires.

And the Boughton couple have promised to upgrade their pet cat’s meals to only the best from now on.

Andrew said: “We needed more cat food for Shortcake, our ginger tom, and I said I’d get some on the way home from work — but I forgot.

“So, I decided to take Paula’s car and fill up with fuel (at the Esso petrol station on Old Rufford Road, Ollerton) and get the cat food.

“While paying for the food I bought the £5 scratchcard because I’d won £100 twice before on the same type of card.

“I decided to scratch the symbols while sitting in the car at the petrol station as I realised I had forgotten to buy the cat food.

“I scratched off the lucky symbol — a duck — and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“I looked and looked again and started to get a bit hot when I realised I had won.

“I went home and called Paula as soon as I walked through the front door. I don’t usually swear, but I did, and beckoned her over to check the ticket with me.

“After checking the ticket quite a few times and just staring at it, I called the National Lottery to claim the prize.
“If it wasn’t for Shortcake, we wouldn’t be millionaires.”

Paula, a councillor on Ollerton Town Council, added: “Claiming the money was exactly like on the adverts. We had a lovely old lady who said ‘congratulations, you’ve won £1 million’, and we just couldn’t believe it.

“Andrew couldn’t stop singing and jumping up and down. I was the same but burst into tears when I saw my mum and dad.”

PHOTO: Courtesy Mansfield Chad