I do not know cats very well, but I will probably be working with them soon.

What kind of clothes - particularly pants/trousers - would be a good material to resist... cat...damage?

I made a google search for this and got lots of pictures of cats wearing pants instead

years ago when I bathed my cats I found windbreakers were good for protecting my arms

Huh, that's good to know

I'm not sure if bathing is involved in the job but it's certainly possible because it's a cat shelter

of course my cats had clipped claws so

cool!

It's temporary work - perhaps a year - but yeah

I don't know if they make pants in that kind of material that doesn't really snag or provide good puncture traction

They do, actually, but I imagine that would be really hot to wear all day. I'm thinking about the work day, for the most part

that's probably true!
wait by cat damage are you thinking more claws or urine?

I honestly do not know what is possible

since I don't know cats very well

Mostly I think I will be feeding and cleaing

cleaning

they shouldn't spray on you, probably

claws wise, thick denim usually suffices

like full denim though, not stretch blends

my experience with cats is when it's feeding time kittens might try to climb your legs, while adult ones might go on two legs and like reach up to knead a little

they probably won't set out to claw you up, when cats are defensive/scared it's more a swipe at close range, they don't generally come after you

it's been a long time for me since my shelter volunteering days but I did fine in shorts cleaning the community rooms

I was thinking about that, yeah. I'm supposed to have a set of clothes to wear there only, so I would have to set aside a specific set of jeans. I have clothes for dogs which are usually hiking pants that resist dirt, but they're thinner and I was thinking about the claws

and you'll probably want thick canvas work gloves as hands are where you're likely to get scratched

True.

/nods

My feeling is - and this is totally possible seeing as I am new at this - that if I get clawed or bit it's probably my fault in some way.

what setting is this in? like a shelter?

I treat dogs the same way

Yeah, it's a shelter for the city

both street cats and re-homes

I visited, it's nice and clean and they are good about quarantine and all that

yeah usually cats signal they don't want you there, though the signals aren't all the same as for dogs

oh that's good

exactly - I don't know they're signals yet

sometimes you might be dealing with barn cat types then

probably true, outside of our city it's all rural until you get to another city

or at least my city's shelter has that section of like.... cats that aren't well socialized and not suited to be adopted in homes

like, when cats wag or lash their tails it's a sign of excitement, it can be they're angry but it can also be interest, anticipation etc

those lil buddies are probably the most likely to be aggressive

I'm not sure the exact procedures yet as to what kind of cats go where, but when I'm there I'll start learning.

It looked organized at least

I've watched a few videos on cat behavior, and I'm sure I'll learn on site. I just have to get a feel for it.

cats will also do love chews jfhhdgd

gnaw on your hand because they like you

haha yeaaaah that sounds like a fun time. I'm going to ask the shelter if I should be getting a tetanus shot

I expect to be bitten and clawed a few times, it's just part of the job

I think in the years I worked at the dog daycare I was bit maybe... 3 times, not badly though.

mostly puppies

nods

I'm sure kittens have no consideration either

watch Jackson Galaxy vids, he's great with all kinds of cats

I do, but I'm always hesitant to take advice from TV animal behaviorists - that said I have some friends with cats who don't think he's entirely bullshit, so I do watch and consider what he says. It does make sense to me, what he says.

I’d go with non-stretch jeans too

They’re unlikely to do much to your legs though, if they’re lashing out it’s likely to be that your arms are the target

They can get claws snagged in loose knit fabrics too so avoid wool etc

But in most cases you’ll be dealing with cats lashing out as a warning or kneading your legs if they’re happy (which can go through jeans if their claws are sharp, or sometimes when they’re old they can’t restrict their claws)

So it honestly won’t do a lot of damage at all

I’ve had cats all my life (including a lot of rescue cats) and I’ve rarely had any more damage than pinpricks

Yeah I'm also concerned about my arms, but at the moment it's still warm so I think it will be too hot to have long sleeves right now. Jeans would probably work, but I only have 2 pairs of jeans, so I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use them... or maybe I have some old ones that don't fit me in the basement...hrm

Tbh cat scratches are normally so light they’ll heal up in a day or two. They normally barely break the skin

are the old ones too big?