0

Kia Soul Smells Like Cat Pee (Why? & Now What?)

If your Kia Soul is smelling like cat pee you may be wondering why, how you can get rid of the smell (Click here for my best solution, on Amazon #Ad), and how to prevent this foul smell going forward.

Why Does My Kia Soul Smell Like Cat Pee?

There are three main reasons your Kia Soul smells like cat pee: Either it has mold, you have a cat and it has peed in there, or there may be a small rodent stuck in the air duct that has caused the foul smell.

What you will need clean & prevent cat pee in your Kia

Description	Image	My Rating
01. Nature’s Miracle Enzyme Cleaner (My Best) Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
02. Revlon Hair Dryer Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad
03. Aluminum Foil Click here for the price on Amazon #Ad

So, now you know why your Kia may be smelling like cat pee. But, keep reading to learn how the recirculation mode in your Kia could be causing this smell, how likely it is that a cat has peed in there, how you can prevent cats peeing in there, and so much more.

The 3 Reasons your Kia is smelling like Cat pee

Your car’s smell matters a lot. However, you may have noticed a peculiar smell of cat pee these days coming from it. Do you know why? Well, as discussed earlier, there are three major reasons possible for this, so let me delve deeper…

01. Mold Smell Due to Moisture

One of the major reasons why objects start smelling like cat pee is because of the formation of mold.

Mold, a type of fungi, generally grows whenever there’s plenty of moisture available. Certain molds have a horrible smell such as cat urine odor.

So, if you feel like there must be some problem with the air conditioning housing and souring of your Kia Soul, then it could be because of trapped moisture.

02. Maybe It’s Your Cat

If you’ve noticed any suspicious behavior from your cat lately then your cat can be the real culprit. Out of certain behavioral and medical problems, cats tend to pee at inappropriate places. Thus, keeping an eye on your cat and street cats is the best idea for now.

03. Rodent Stuck In The Duct

If your car is new and may not have either of the mold or cat problems, then you can check the air duct. Sometimes, rodents do get stuck in the duct and give off a nasty cat urine odor.

What is a Kia Soul?

KIA Soul, manufactured by KIA Motors, is a popular SUV sold in different parts of the world. Mainly, there are two types of commercial cars available such as a sedan or an SUV. Note that, unlike other SUV cars, KIA Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV.

So, it is not as bulky as plenty of other SUV cars of giant truck size. KIA Soul has various exciting features such as:

• Smooth braking technology
• Excellent design with color options
• Turbocharged engine
• Automatic transmission

However, many users may have complained about the smell of cat pee which definitely has various reasons.

What Is the AC Recirculation Air Mode in a Kia Soul?

Every car has an AC but did you know that the AC also comes in two different modes? Let me explain these two modes…

01. Fresh Air Mode

As the name suggests, the fresh air mode allows the outside fresh air to come inside the car via an air duct outside.

This mode can help in eliminating the bad odor when you turn on the car. However, keeping it on forever can bring in the dust and dirt from the road along with the air.

02. Air Recirculation Mode

The second mode is the air-recirculation mode. Again, as the name suggests, in this mode the air keeps recirculating inside the car. There’s no involvement of the outside air.

This helps in keeping the dusty and polluted air away from your air. However, for long journeys, the recirculation of air can result in impure air.

Additionally, if your car smells due to any reason, recirculating the air will not help in clearing out the bad odor.

How Can This Recirculation Mode Cause Cat Pee Smells?

The recirculation mode can definitely cause the bad odor of cat urine. The reason being – moisture. Keeping the recirculation mode on all the time, especially during the winters, can cause the humidity and moisture to get trapped in the car. In fact, it can also make the car feel muggy and damp.

Now, this humidity and dampness are the major reasons for the growth of mold inside the AC system. Such mold may give off the smell of cat pee (Click here if this is affecting your new home). Additionally, as the air keeps recirculating, the smell won’t go away.

How Can You Override and Set the Recirculated Air Mode?

You may want to set the recirculated-air mode whenever you see a road filled with diesel smoke. However, due to some reason or the other, you may be unable to set the recirculated-air mode such as ‘defog settings’. By the time you figure it out, the polluted air has already entered your car!

In this situation, all you have to do to override this problem is to press the recirculated-air button thrice. You will then see the AC and recirculated air lights. Now, you can easily change the settings!

Do Cats Pee in KIA’s?

Just like other cars, cats pee in KIA cars too. There are a lot of factors responsible for this. Firstly, your cat may simply be trying to mark their territory. Be it your car or home, if a cat wants to mark their territory, they will pee on it.

Another reason could be that your cat has certain medical problems such as UTI. Due to such problems, they may prefer peeing in comfortable areas, such as your car, rather than their litter box.

So, they may pee on the tires and if they’re in the car, they may end up peeing on the seats too.

How Can I Clean up My KIA Soul if My Cat Peed in There?

If your cat has already peed in your KIA Soul, there are certain steps you can try out to remove the bad odor and stains.

Step 1: Identify the Smell

The first step is to find the smell. If there’s a stain visible, then you can find it. In case of no stain, try using a UV light in a dark area. UV light will make the cat urine glow faintly.

Step 2: Use Vinegar-Water Mixture

Here, mix 1 cup vinegar with ½ cup of water. Pour the mixture on a soft cloth and dab it on the stained area. Now, wait for around 5-10 minutes for the stain to soak up the mixture.

Step 3: Blot the Stain

Take a clean cloth and blot the stain for 10-15 minutes. This step helps in removing the extra mixture that hasn’t been soaked.

Step 4: Use Enzyme-based Cleaner

Later on, use an enzyme-based cleaner (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) and apply it to the stain, as per the instructions. Cover the stain using plastic. Enzymes help in breaking the uric acid in the cat’s pee, responsible for the terrible smell (what if it smells sweet? click here).

Step 5: Use Hydrogen Peroxide Mixture

The last step is to mix two drops of liquid soap, two cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide, two tablespoons of baking soda, and half a teaspoon of lemon juice in a container.

Apply this mixture to the stain and let it fizz. Once the mixture has fizzed, blot it up with a dry and clean cloth.

Step 6: Dry the Stained Area

The last step is to dry the stained area. You can do it in two ways:

1. Use a hairdryer (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) (on warm/cool settings)
2. Keep the car and window doors open

In this way, you can clean up the stains and remove the smelly odor!

How Can I Prevent My KIA Soul Getting Peed On?

If you want to prevent your cat from peeing on your KIA soul, then you can try out the below points.

1. Use an aluminum foil (Click here to see the price, on Amazon #Ad) to cover up the vents. This way your car’s air conditioning won’t be damaged.
2. Cats may pee on the car to get your attention. If you’re not spending a lot of time with them, consider doing that.
3. Whenever you see your cat peeing on your car, press the horn to scare them away.
4. Cats like their litter box spacious and clean. So, if you haven’t cleaned their litter box (Click here to see my best 3 self-cleaning litter boxes) in a while, do it.
5. Cats tend to spray when they’re unneutered. If your cat isn’t spayed or neutered yet, then get them spayed.
6. Don’t let your cat go outside alone.
7. You can use orange/lemon peels or vinegar-lemon and water mixture spray to act as a cat repellant and keep your cat away from the car.

What Can You Do to Prevent Local Cats Spraying Your Car?

If your cat isn’t spraying your car, then it can be the other local cats. To stop them from doing so, you can try out the following methods.

1. Use Lemon and Orange Peels

Cats hate the smell of citrus. So, if you keep lemon and orange peels near your car, they won’t come near it or pee on it.

2. Use Vinegar to Wash Stains

Vinegar helps in removing the stain and odor. Yet, did you know that it can repel the cats too?

A cat may find the same spots to pee on the car. Now, after using vinegar, the cat will not find the stains and will probably go away.

3. Use Double-sided Sticky Tape

You can place the double-sided sticky tape (Click here to see the reviews, on Amazon #Ad) on the surface where the outdoor cat stands for peeing. This way while peeing, their paws would get stuck and they will get scared.

So, this way they won’t return to pee in your car. Additionally, you can also make use of the tattle tail alarm to scare away the cat when they’re peeing.

Is There a Mold That Smells Like Cat Urine?

Yes, there are certain molds with distinct odors. However, there is one named, black mold that smells like cat urine. If you’re cleaning it, remember to wear gloves and a mask as it is quite toxic and harmful.