WALLINGFORD, Conn. — If a cat finds a winning lottery ticket purchased on Friday the 13th, is it superstition or fate?
If you ask Russell Ruff of Somers, the word he’d use is “miraculous”—after the family cat led them to a Powerball ticket they believed was lost.
“We lost the ticket at home. It went behind a headboard, and we didn’t think too much of it… we didn’t really check the numbers,” recalled Russell.
He says the ticket was discovered when the cat somehow made its way behind a bed, prompting Russell and his sons to maneuver it in order to retrieve the feline. In the process, they found the cat—and the ticket.
After scanning (and rescanning, just to be sure) using the CT Lottery app, Russell learned the long-lost ticket was a winner worth $150,000.
“It was a miracle,” said Russell.
He had originally purchased the ticket on Friday, June 13, just for some superstitious fun. The Powerball drawing took place the next evening. Russell’s ticket ended up matching four of the five winning numbers plus the Powerball. He was just one number away from the jackpot. Since he added Power Play, his prize increased from $50,000 to $150,000.
Russell is a school bus driver in Somers and a regular player of the CT Lottery. He purchased the ticket at Small Town LLC on Main St. in Somers.
Congratulations to Russell, his family, and their 16-year-old cat!