This reminds me of a joke my dad used to tell about a guy who went on vacation and asked his friend to check in on things for him. After a few days, the guy calls his friend and asks about his cat. His friend tells him his cat is dead. The guy tells his friend he could've softened the blow by telling him the cat is stuck on the roof, then the next time he called he could have said the cat fell off the roof and is at the vet. Then on the next phone call he could say that the cat died under the care of the vet. His friend apologizes for being so blunt. Then the guy asks his friend how his grandmother is doing. His friend says "she's on the roof".