A man goes on vacation... And calls up his buddy to see if he'll watch over the house and, more importantly, the cat. ""Sure thing, Jim! You know I love Tiger! You just enjoy your trip and I'll call you if anything pops up."" Two days later, Jim is sunbathing on a cruise ship when his phone rings. He recognizes his buddy's number and answers the phone. ""Jim... I'm not sure how to tell you this... Tiger died yesterday. He ran out the front door and was hit by a car."" After a moment for the shock to wear off, Jim finally composes himself. ""Thanks for letting me know, but you really could have softened the blow for me. Tiger was my everything you know."" ""Well... how should I have gone about telling you in a better way?"" The friend asks. ""It's simple actually. You call on the first day and say 'Tiger is on the roof and I can't get him down.' Then, the next day, you call again and say 'Tiger fell off the roof, but I took him to the vet and it looks like he's going to be ok.' The next update would be 'Tiger took a turn for the worse, but there is still hope for a recovery.' And finally, you call the next day and say 'Tiger passed away peacefully in his sleep.'"" ""Wow,"" his buddy says, ""I really should have done this. I am so sorry for just dumping it on you, but I want you to know that you should still enjoy your vacation and I'll be here for you when you return."" After thanking him, Jim goes back to enjoying his cruise, the news about Tiger slowly fading from his mind. Three days later, Jim's phone rings, again coming from his friend. ""What's up?"" Jim asks. ""I just wanted to let you know that your mother is on the roof and I can't get her down.""