Author Topic: Olga's cat Vaska  (Read 28546 times)

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Offline Lanie

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Olga's cat Vaska
« on: February 14, 2004, 10:23:07 PM »
Anyone know what happened to Olga's kitty Vaska?

Janet Whitcomb

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #1 on: February 18, 2004, 08:52:37 PM »
I would like to know this, too!  I find it interesting that, in a family of dog lovers, Olga would have a cat. And anyone know the meaning of the name Vaska, or--for that matter--the meaning of the name Ortino?

Annie

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2004, 05:33:58 PM »
I heard that Marie and Alexei also had cats. They were probably not just dog lovers but animal lovers! They loved horses and had the zoo too. I fear for what happened to the pets left at the palace after the revolution. What happened to them was probably not better than what happened to the family :( But then Joy had a happy ending, so you never know.

JaneEyre5381

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2004, 05:54:37 PM »
Quote
I would like to know this, too!  I find it interesting that, in a family of dog lovers, Olga would have a cat. And anyone know the meaning of the name Vaska, or--for that matter--the meaning of the name Ortino?

Hello Janet

To answer a part of your question, Vas'ka is a diminiative of the Russian name Vasilii.  Vas'ka was and still is a popular name for a male cat.  Hope this helped somewhat.  My apologies for not having more information.

Dasha

Janet_W.

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2004, 06:48:46 PM »
Thank you, Dasha! "Vaska" is to male cats in Russia the way I suppose "Polly" is to female parrots and "Rover" and "Spot" to male dogs in the United States!

At some point maybe someone will discover what happened to some of the other critters, Vaska included. We know that many of the dogs are buried on the children's island; perhaps Vaska is there too.

JaneEyre5381

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2004, 07:08:24 PM »
You're welcome Janet.  Glad to help in any way that I can.   ;D

Dasha

bookworm

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2004, 10:13:08 PM »
I saw a picture of the cat somewhere. Could someone post it? Are there any of Olga with her feline friend? Olga always sounded more like a cat person to me than a dog person.

livadia

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2004, 02:02:27 AM »
on the AP imperial pets page, there's a photo of  Vaska, at the bottom...

http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/imperialpets2.html

SO CUTE!  i have the biggest thing for tabby cats.  ^^  my Princess Alice is a marble tabby.  :)

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #8 on: August 22, 2004, 01:39:35 PM »
Quote
I would like to know this, too!  I find it interesting that, in a family of dog lovers, Olga would have a cat. And anyone know the meaning of the name Vaska, or--for that matter--the meaning of the name Ortino?


Found this info on a cat lover's site--Olga wasn't the only one who liked cats!
Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich Romanov was an uncle of Nickolay II. Despite his title Mikhail Nikolayevich was a scientist, historian and a Chairman of the Russian Historical Society. He lived with a cat, whose name is lost to history. He was arrested by the Bolsheviks. When he was led to prison he took the cat with him. He was shot in Peter and Paul Fortress on January 28, 1919 and the Grand Duke met his end with his cat on his lap. We have no idea what happened to the cat, but we hope it has been reunited with its human in Heaven.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by grandduchessella »
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Penny_Wilson

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #9 on: August 22, 2004, 02:26:16 PM »
Quote

Found this info on a cat lover's site--Olga wasn't the only one who liked cats!
Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich Romanov was an uncle of Nickolay II. Despite his title Mikhail Nikolayevich was a scientist, historian and a Chairman of the Russian Historical Society. He lived with a cat, whose name is lost to history. He was arrested by the Bolsheviks. When he was led to prison he took the cat with him. He was shot in Peter and Paul Fortress on January 28, 1919 and the Grand Duke met his end with his cat on his lap. We have no idea what happened to the cat, but we hope it has been reunited with its human in Heaven.


I think you've conflated two men here!  Michael Nicholaievich (died 1909) was an "uncle" of Nicholas II, being the last surviving son of Nicholas I.  He was a respected military man -- I think his expertise was in artillery -- and was the Viceroy of the Caucasus during the childhood and youth of Nicholas II.  He was the father of six sons and one daughter, known in the family as the "Wild Caucasians" or the Mikhailovichi.  They were cousins of Nicholas II, and one of them, Alexander or Sandro, married NII's sister Xenia.  The daughter was Anastasia Mikhailovich, whom we have been discussing recently.

Three of Michael Nicholaievich's sons -- George, Serge and Nicholas -- were assassinated by the Bolsheviks.  Serge was killed at Alapaievsk along with GD Elizabeth Feodorovna, Prince Paley and the three Konstantinovichi princes.  George and Nicholas were killed in the Peter-Paul in January 1919, along with GDs Paul Alexandrovich and Dimitri Konstantinovich.  It was this Nicholas -- Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, AKA Uncle Bimbo -- who was the historian, scientist and Chairman of the Russian Historical Society.

Nicholas Mikhailovich's cat was a young white long-hair, not much more than a kitten.  He DID carry it to his place of execution, but handed it over to a guard for safe-keeping.

Annie

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #10 on: August 22, 2004, 07:38:32 PM »
I have always read he was shot with the cat in his arms, I'm glad the kitty wasn't executed too. But I have to wonder how 'safe' that Bolshevik guard would keep him:(

Offline LisaDavidson

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #11 on: August 22, 2004, 08:38:25 PM »
Probably depended on the guard. I don't know that all the Bolsheviks hated animals or those who had been companions to the Romanovs.

Janet_Ashton

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #12 on: August 22, 2004, 08:47:39 PM »
Quote
I have always read he was shot with the cat in his arms, I'm glad the kitty wasn't executed too. But I have to wonder how 'safe' that Bolshevik guard would keep him:(



Maybe safe as the dog that was about when Felix killed Rasputin?  ;D

Offline grandduchessella

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #13 on: August 22, 2004, 09:39:44 PM »
Quote

I think you've conflated two men here!  Michael Nicholaievich (died 1909) was an "uncle" of Nicholas II, being the last surviving son of Nicholas I.  He was a respected military man -- I think his expertise was in artillery -- and was the Viceroy of the Caucasus during the childhood and youth of Nicholas II.  He was the father of six sons and one daughter, known in the family as the "Wild Caucasians" or the Mikhailovichi.  They were cousins of Nicholas II, and one of them, Alexander or Sandro, married NII's sister Xenia.  The daughter was Anastasia Mikhailovich, whom we have been discussing recently.

Three of Michael Nicholaievich's sons -- George, Serge and Nicholas -- were assassinated by the Bolsheviks.  Serge was killed at Alapaievsk along with GD Elizabeth Feodorovna, Prince Paley and the three Konstantinovichi princes.  George and Nicholas were killed in the Peter-Paul in January 1919, along with GDs Paul Alexandrovich and Dimitri Konstantinovich.  It was this Nicholas -- Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich, AKA Uncle Bimbo -- who was the historian, scientist and Chairman of the Russian Historical Society.

Nicholas Mikhailovich's cat was a young white long-hair, not much more than a kitten.  He DID carry it to his place of execution, but handed it over to a guard for safe-keeping.


You're right. I'm usually pretty good at keeping those Romanovs straight, but ever now and then the old brain slips up.  :-[  There are so many of them with similar names! Michael Mikahilovich, Nicholas Mikahilovich, Nicholas Nikolaivich, etc.  :) I'm going to start keeping a big Romanov genealological chart above my computer. The irony is, I know all that about the Mikahilovichi as they're one of my favorites (Anastiasia, Olga-Cecile of Baden, etc...)
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM by grandduchessella »
They also serve who only stand and wait--John Milton
Come visit on Pinterest--http://pinterest.com/lawrbk/

Annie

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Re: Olga's cat Vaska
« Reply #14 on: August 23, 2004, 08:01:32 AM »
Ella as soon as I saw your post I thought you had just mistyped, the names are confusing, but I know you knew who you were talking about.

I can only hope the cat ended up okay like Joy.