Bill is housesitting for his brother Bob over a long vacation One day, Bob calls Bill to check in on how everything is, and see how his cat is doing. Bill very abruptly and callously says ""Cat's dead, Bob."" Bob is overcome with shock, and when he finally collects himself he says ""Bill, that was very rude, and was quite jarring. You need to learn how to break bad news to people."" ""What do you mean?"" Bill asks. ""Well, I'm still going to be gone for a few weeks, so you could have told me that the cat got stuck on the roof, and you can't get him down. Then, the next time I called, you could have said the cat fell off the roof, and you took him to the vet and they're treating his injuries. And then, the next time I call, you could have told me that the cat unfortunately had to be put down. It's sad either way, but it's far better to break bad news to someone gently like that."" ""Oh, sorry, Bob."" Bill says. ""It's no problem, Bill. By the way, how's Mom doing?"" Bill thinks a bit and says, ""Mom's stuck on the roof and we can't get her down.""