Wow, sounds like a health and safety nightmare. Is there a service you could contact to complain?

Glad you're okay OP, the people running the shelter need to get better heads on their shoulders. On another note, stop using hydrogen peroxide. It will take the wounds longer to heal because the peroxide also ears healthy flesh. Use soap and water or a diluted alcohol. It keeps everything clean and helps everything get healed faster.

I hope you feel better OP. Put neosporin on the scratches too, it will make scarring less noticeable. I have very faded scars where my cat scratched me all up when she was a kitten since she was feral.

Was this before or after they got their vaccinations?

OP Its their loss really, most animal shelters can really use volunteers. They should give the people they actually pay the crappy jobs like that, not a volunteer like you. By giving the crappy jobs to volunteers and treating them like crap they are literately asking for the volunteer to never return. They can't tell you what to do.. you're not getting payed for anything, if you don't want to do something just say you wont do it and ask for something else or you wont help anymore and just walk away like you did. OP you really seem like a kind person if you're willing to volunteer for an animal shelter, its just sad to see that people like that would just use you for the crappy jobs they don't want to do. You did the right thing by never returning, these people don't deserve your help. I hope you'll be able to find a better place to volunteer at where they won't just use you like that.

Hey OP, you need to contact animal protection services ASAP, what they're doing there is probably considered animal cruelty and the fact they didn't care about them scratching you or giving you any protective gear means they could have a law suit on their hands!

Don't apply hydrogen peroxide to those areas for too long! If applied too long, it can actually end up being worse. Apply neosporin! :)

Are those cats tested for rabies or any other diseases? You may want to consult your family doctor....

Good job with the peroxide, OP. Stuff is the best for disinfecting wounds.

bites are worse than scratches because cats carry bacteria in their teeth. if you were bit and it drew blood, you should consider being seen. when I was bit by a cat, my whole hand swelled up for a week. I had to go to the hospital and they gave me some pills to take. it can be very serious and even fatal. please don't blame the cats. they're just scared and want to go home. the best thing for ferals is to trap neuter and return them to the wild. feral cats are no different from wild cats. thank you for volunteering though and I hope you get better.

Actually do not use hydrogen peroxide on the wounds it will make it take longer to heal. Just use plain soap and water or Neosporin and keep the wounds covered.

Volunteer with dogs next time. They're nicer to be around and usually the worst thing they do to anyone in their immediate vicinity is try and lick them to death.

#51, A dog in an unfamiliar place, with an unfamiliar person can develop fear aggression. Lets not forget that some of them can also be feral, and not used to people.

For next time you encounter an unfriendly cat, pick it up by the back of the neck. They seem to mind much less. Sorry that happened though! Two cats was enough for me, I would never try to take on 25, much less 25 feral cats.

Polysporine works like magic too

I agree with others, go to higher ups IMMEDIATELY. If they do this regularly they are scaring off poor volunteers and they could get diseases. The animals and people are suffering, they need new management. Not to mention feral cats around pets shouldn't be around each other. Cats can fight through cages stacked on top of each other and feral cats could spread many diseases

What do you mean, animal cruelty?

As someone who works at an animal shelter I am sooo sorry this happened to you! It sounds like this place is run by total morons! I hope it won't discourage you from seeking out actual, properly run places and volunteering! I'd also call the ASPCA and report this place, they're putting their staff, volunteers and animals at risk. And I don't know how it works in the states but in Canada if a cat bites someone Public Health has to be notified and the animal put into quarantine for 10 days while a report is done up.

Are those cats vaccined? If not please make sure you get rabies shots!!!

Stray cats that have been caught, fixed, and released, also have a slightly clipped ear. They do that so they can identify them a lot easier.

Good

That's a job for someone who works there, not a volunteer! Sorry OP

Feral cats aren't used to people, so of course it would attack OP for trying to move it

feral cats are no different from wild cats/animals. of course they would attack.