Two pretty kitties earn lottery player a pretty penny

By Kate Northrop

EUCLID, Ohio — The cat's out of the bag — two kitties might have helped one woman win a $1,180 Illinois Lottery Pick 4 prize.

An anonymous woman from the Chicago suburbs has been playing the lottery for the past decade, using everyday events and happenings around her to conjure up numbers to play. Most recently, she took inspiration from the two cats she adopted — Eustace, a gray Tabby, and Denzel, a domestic Short Hair.

"I like to play situational numbers, so the lucky numbers that I play are what is occurring in my life, like a new phone number, birthday or address," she explained in a press release.

She uses this method for selecting number combinations for Pick 3 and Pick 4, her two favorite games.

Not long after taking home the two pretty kitties, she picked up a Pick 4 lottery ticket and looked to her newest family members for those lucky numbers.

"I adopted two kittens three weeks ago, Eustace and Denzel from PAWS Chicago," she told the Illinois Lottery. "So on a whim, I decided to play the address of the adoption center, 1-9-9-7." The adoption center is located at 1997 N Clybourn Avenue in Chicago.

She was pleasantly surprised when she learned of her win at home and mentioned that the news put her in the holiday spirit.

"When I found out I won, my first thought was 'Happy Christmas!'" the player exclaimed.

Since her cats brought her plenty of luck, she plans on returning the favor by showering them with a few Christmas gifts of their own.

"With my winnings, I am going to buy a few things for my cats," the winner said. "I have been looking at PetSmart online for a cat tree and of course cat food and lots of catnip too!"

This is not the first time she won lottery prizes by playing situation numbers. Using everyday life as an inspiration has earned her an even larger payout once before.

"One time, I played my son's birthday on Pick 4 and won a $5,000 prize," she recalled.

Her advice to other players? Follow your "gut instinct" and play numbers that feel right.

The anonymous woman shared her story with the Illinois Lottery voluntarily, so it is unclear where she bought the ticket and when.