Unpleasant smells from your car are super unwanted. They are especially annoying and embarrassing when you want to give someone a lift at times. Like a colleague or maybe a person you just dated. If your car smells like cat pee very often, it may be so stressful that you may even think of selling the vehicle. But hold your horses.
Your car may smell like cat pee because of several factors: actual cats peeing on your car wheels, mold in your AC system, moisture in your car's interior, and contaminants on the seat or carpet.
As you see, there is nothing extraordinary and there are things you can do in each case. Given it's pretty hard to inspect and identify the actual reason for the smell, you should concentrate on eliminating one reason after another till you get the result.
Let's see what you can do!
1. Preventing cats from peeing on your car
As funny as it may sound, actual cats peeing on your car is a pretty common reason for this smell. My father-in-law works in an office that has a parking lot close to a cat shelter. Sometimes, some cats sneak into the parking lot of the office center and, surprisingly enough, they adore peeing on the wheels of the cars.
When you start driving, this smell is awful. But after some time, it vanishes.
Here's how you can check this:
- go to a car wash;
- use the active foam to wash the wheels;
- try driving your car and smelling the air in it.
If it solves the problem, then you've just found the actual issue. Now, you need to understand where exactly cats can pee on your car and just park your vehicle in another place.
2. Car AC mold - a really huge problem
When your car AC works, it makes a certain difference between the temperature outside and the temperature in your car. This may and will lead to humidity issues and the condensate water will eventually form. When it forms on car windows, you just need to wipe it or let fresh air come into your car.
But when the condensate water is formed on the pipes and hoses of the ventilation system, mold formation is just a matter of time.
When there is enough mold in the system, it starts growing rapidly and infesting the entire ventilation system. Over time, this colony of tiny living creatures starts stinking and the smell may resemble the cat pee.
One solution to this is to clean the system:
- go online to the car accessories store and buy the AC cleaner;
- read the manual for the exact type of cleaner you bought;
- apply it - usually, you just need to fill the vents with the chemical that comes in the can;
- follow the manual and clean the vents, after that let the car ventilate all the chemicals naturally;
- check if you managed to beat the cat pee smell the next morning.
Also, you may prevent mold from forming in the AC system of your car. For this, turn off the AC about 3 minutes before you stop the vehicle and turn the airflow to the maximum. This will dry the air vents and will not allow the mold to form so quickly.
3. Dirty cabin air filter
One more component of the car ventilation system that can emit cat pee smells is the cabin air filter. In most vehicles, it's located alongside the ventilation fan and is pretty hard to reach. But it's still a DIY task in the majority of cars, so you may just replace it on your own to make sure everything is good on its side.
Over time, the cabin air filter may get wet and some bacteria may start living a happy life there. It will gradually worsen the situation with the smell in your car. The only solution is to replace this filter. It doesn't cost a lot and you have a lot of different options in all price ranges.
4. Contaminations on fabric inside your car
One more thing to check, especially if you ever transported pets in your car, is the possible contamination of the seats and carpet.
Try to locate the spot that emits the nasty smell. If it's possible to do that, you can use chemical cleaning solutions to clean off the stain and get rid of the smell.
Also, if you believe that contaminants may be the reason for the cat pee smell in your car, you may just go to a good cleaning service and have your car professionally cleaned. By the way, deep cleaning once every year is a very good habit.
Will air fresheners help?
No, this is a certainly no-no solution for the cat pee smell. You will most likely make things worse by using any kind of air fresheners and scents in your car. When these good scents mix with the cat pee smell, this will obviously form an awful mixture that will not allow you to sit in your car with the windows closed.
I strongly recommend professional cleaning, filter change, and wheel wash. Do these things one by one to eventually understand what may have caused this nasty smell in your vehicle and prevent this from happening in the future.
If you have the experience of solving this problem and have some other solution, please write in the comments below and help other car owners save their time and money!
About the authors
The CarAraC research team is composed of seasoned auto mechanics and automotive industry professionals, including individuals with advanced degrees and certifications in their field. Our team members boast prestigious credentials, reflecting their extensive knowledge and skills. These qualifications include: IMI: Institute of the Motor Industry, ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technicians; Coventry University, Graduate of MA in Automotive Journalism; Politecnico di Torino, Italy, MS Automotive Engineering; Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mechanical University in Skopje; TOC Automotive College; DHA Suffa University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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