I need cat and gerbil help?

Okay so I have a cat and I am getting a gerbil I want to socialize with it a lot so I can play with it and it won't bight me. One should I wear gloves at first I had chinese dwarf hamster once and I wore gloves like thick ones so they wouldn't hurt me. Or would this defeat the purpose of socializing? I was wondering are gerbils like hamster where they can squeeze through doors should I put a towel under the door when I take them out? and can I take one out at a time or should I play with them together? and if a cat caught a gerbil would it be totally defenseless or could it get away?