Dear Prudence,
I am a veterinarian at a busy practice. A few months ago, a new client brought in his feral cat for treatment. During the exam and consult he was very friendly, then began obviously flirting with me—asking if we did house calls and saying he would ask for the “pretty, blue-eyed doctor.” I showed him my wedding band and said I was married. He apologized and said he does not usually hit on married women. Several weeks later, on Valentine’s Day, I received an elaborate gift at work, a teddy bear and roses, from some patient whose name I didn’t recognize. It was him! I had no idea how to respond, so I did nothing. Now, months later, the cat is back in our hospital, very sick. The other doctors are dealing with the cat and the owner because they know I am uncomfortable. He asked another doctor if I had gotten the bear because I never said thank you. She covered for me saying the thank you must have gotten lost in the mail. Then the day when the cat went home the owner cornered a receptionist, asked specifically if I was working that night, and said to let me know he wanted to talk to me. I wrote him a thank you note and that evening high-tailed it out of there. Was I wrong thinking this was really a strange and inappropriate gift? Did I bring this on myself by not responding to him?