3 Reasons Why I Love Rummikub!
It’s ‘National Love Your Pet Day’ and so we challenged Bean Learning co-founder and consultant, Sarah Ridgeon, to give us 3 reasons why she loves her cat, Rummikub!
Expect lots of cute photos along with some unexpected discussions around needs-based communication and meerkats!
Above: Sarah’s cat, Rummikub, sucks on her favourite blanket!
Let me start by clarifying that this blog is about my cat, Rummikub, not the popular tile-based number game. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the game. I love all games, truth be told, but Rummikub is a particular favourite. When I was little, I used to play it with my Grandma and I still have the set from the 1980s in a little cotton bag. I am the kind of person who needs to be doing more than one thing at a time to concentrate and so, to meet this need, I began carrying around my Rummikub tiles wherever I went. From my early 20s onwards, I would play with my friends in cafes, restaurants, pubs, parks and beaches - anywhere where I needed a bit of support concentrating and could get away with it (unfortunately the cinema is too dark for boardgames and so you’ll rarely find me there!).
Above: Sarah playing Rummikub with a friend at a cafe in the sunshine.
Gradually my friends became hooked on the game and bought their own sets, and their friends bought their own sets, and so on ad infinitum. I have photos of me playing Rummikub around the world and regularly get sent photos of friends and family playing the game in extreme locations. And so, you see, I could easily write a blog about why I love the game Rummikub. In fact, it would definitely be a challenge to whittle it down to 3 things!
But when I adopted a tiny kitten who had been rescued from the streets of Sitges (near Barcelona where I was living at the time), I asked my loved-ones what I should call her and the resounding response was ‘Rummikub’. And so, as it is ‘National Love Your Pet Day’, I have been asked to write about my little Kub and why I love her so dearly.
Above: A variety of images of Rummi as a little kitten in Barcelona.
1. She’s great at communicating!
Rummi has been through a fair bit of trauma in her little life, from being weaned too early as her mother was poorly, to spending unexpectedly prolonged periods of time alone when I’ve been in hospital. She is therefore very attached to me, almost like a shadow, and is very anxious of others. She can get aggressive when she is stressed and her behaviour has not been the easiest to manage. However, she is an expert at communicating her needs! She is very vocal and uses a wide range of meows, mews, chirps, purrs, hisses - as well as non-verbal communication through her tail, head bumps, paw taps and gentle bites - all to let me know exactly how she’s feeling and what she needs. This has encouraged me to communicate with her in return, which at first was merely an opportunity to practise my Spanish and Catalan when I was living in Barcelona (yes, I am aware of how brilliant it is that my cat is from Catalunia!).
When I began researching an ‘unconditional’ approach to working with young people and using needs-based communication, however, Rummi became the perfect little being to practise these skills with. It may not have been the most effective way to discipline an animal quickly, but it works for us and allowed me to unlearn my ingrained responses to conflict. You can regularly hear me uttering things such as,
“I can see that you need to play and attack things, Rum, but I need to keep myself safe and you are hurting me. Shall I get out a toy on a stick and you can attack that’?”
Laughable to many perhaps, but any opportunity to rewire my responses is great as far as I’m concerned!
2. She is truly unique!
This little Kub is definitely one of a kind! To be honest, I’m not entirely convinced that she is all cat! She sits and gives high-fives on command and plays fetch with her favourite toy like a dog; she stands up to keep look-out like a meerkat; and, she spoons and sleeps under the duvet with her head poking out like a human.
Photos: A selection of photos showing Rummi standing up on her hind legs like a meerkat!
She has a favourite blanket which she sucks and kneads; her favourite food is fruit puree which she will suck straight out of the packet; and, she is not interested in any TV except the entire Toy Story franchise which she will sit and watch attentively from beginning to end. For all her tricky behaviour, she is hilarious company, especially during this isolating time.
Above: A variety of photos of Rummi sucking on her favourite blanket!
Above: Rummi sitting and watching one of the Toy Story films!
3. She gives the BEST cuddles!
I think photos will prove this point much better than words…
Above: A collection of photos (from thousands taken!) of Rummi and me having some lush cuddles!
Point proven? I think so!
So there you have it - three of the many reasons why I utterly adore my little fur baby. She has been a complete lifeline during difficult, lonely and isolating times and a complete hoot to live with, observe and get to know!
Happy ‘National Love Your Pet Day’ and I look forward to hearing about your pets and why you love them!