This joke starts with a man who absolutely loves his cat. He can barely go out because the cat has anxiety problems. One day he has to go on a trip to see his sick mother. He decides to leave the cat with his best friend with a whole list of things and to do and care for the cat.
The day comes and he reluctntly goes on his trip. With in minutes of seperation the cat squaks runs in circles and dies.
The man just arriving at the airport phones his friend to check up on things and his friend tells him right out that the cat is dead. The man absolutely devastated blames the friend for not being more tactful and compasionate.
The friend asks what he should have done; how should he have broke the news?
The man explains that he chould have first told him that the cat escaped and is on the roof .... everything is fine.
Later he could have given an update the the cat slipped off the roof. He is now at the vets. ... everything is fine.
Then finally he could have said that after a long battle the cat did not survive. This way it would have eased the blow.
The friend seeing the err of his ways agrees and says oh by the way .... "your mother is on the roof!"