A LUCKY couple who scooped themselves £1million put their life-changing win down to a little black stray cat.
Tony and Deb Pearce started to feed Billy when they were in serious financial difficulty but now they will enjoy snuggling up this Christmas in their newly renovated home.
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The couple, from Southend, Essex, won £1 million on the National Lottery in 2017 and now wish to spoil their pet Billy with anything he pleases.
Deb said: “Some people say black cats are unlucky, I’d say nothing could be further from the truth!
“When Billy appeared we were close to selling our beloved home and becoming strays ourselves.”
“Tony had stopped working due to ill health and we were in serious debt,” the 63-year-old continued.
“It looked like our only option was to go into rented accommodation then, six months after Billy arrived, lady luck struck and our lives changed for good,” she added.
The couple were able to remain in their home and renovate it into their “perfect slice of heaven.”
Deb added: “To top it off, we finally said ‘I do’ at our dream wedding.”
They have since enjoyed luxury holidays abroad and in the UK, with Billy joining them, and Norfolk became a family favourite.
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Tony and Deb loved the location so much they decided to use some of the lottery win to buy a second home there.
Billy has a “huge carrier” so he can move around while travelling and enjoys a selection of food to pick from.
“To make sure Norfolk is a home from home, he has the exact same set-up there as he has in Essex and this level of attention seems to suit him well,” Deb added.
The couple have spared no expense in looking after him, paying for twice daily insulin injections after he was diagnosed with diabetes and putting him on a tailored hypoallergenic diet.
“Aside from having us on call for his twice-daily injections, we also jump through hoops for his catering whims,” said the proud cat owner.
“Perhaps it’s due to his days as a stray when he must have enjoyed a very varied diet, but now we have to keep a selection of food for him.
“If he has more than three days on the same flavour he turns up his nose and while he enjoys the chicken and vegetable meal, Billy doesn’t like the peas.
“I find myself rooting through his food, picking out the peas and wondering who is the National Lottery millionaire around here?!”
“When I find myself paying the bill for vet care or Billy’s specialist diet, that comes in at more than our annual trip to The Savoy, I can’t help thinking that it might be Billy who is also lucky.
“It’s not a bad life for a Southend stray who clearly turned up on the right doorstep at the right time and proved to us that black cats are in fact lucky!”
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