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Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by smacktoward on Tuesday October 29, 2013 @09:41PM (#6638895)
Fascinating. I was shopping for new sneakers the other day and was shocked at how many people over the last couple of years had reported new pairs of New Balance shoes having exactly the same "smells like cat urine" problem (see: http://ask.metafilter.com/182458/Something-peed-in-my-sneake..., http://reviews.newbalance.com/9328/M990/new-balance-new-bala..., http://www.zappos.com/product/review/7944390/page/1/start/5, or just Google "new balance odor").

The prevailing theory is that it has something to do with the glue they use when assembling the shoe. I wonder if the same glue is hidden in these laptops somewhere...

Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by tplpnm on Tuesday October 29, 2013 @10:54PM (#6639148)
Oh my god I had those M990s in black. I thought there was something really wrong with my feet. Thanks for the closure.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by ddeck on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @01:10AM (#6639624)
Not restricted to New Balance it seems:

Nike Complaints & Reviews - Shoes smell like cat urine (2009) [1]

[1] http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/nike-c255626.html

Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by frogpelt on Tuesday October 29, 2013 @11:39PM (#6639315)
I have found that orange-flavored Trident gum and a certain type of evergreen bushes commonly used in landscaping around shopping centers also smell like cat urine from a short distance.

Cat urine smell is such a pervasive entity.

Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by Anm on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @01:32AM (#6639704)
"cat urine" and "gum" should not be used in the same sentence. I'll leave that one out of my breathe freshener options.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by beambot on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @01:55AM (#6639781)
Many people find the smell of durians equally repugnant... and you can buy durian flavored gum.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by t__r on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @04:27AM (#6640186)
Many years ago I had a pair of Nike sneakers smelling of cat pee. I remember the shoe store saying it was not uncommon. They said it was glue.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by larrys on Tuesday October 29, 2013 @11:27PM (#6639272)
Had the same conclusion with regard to carpeting in a commercial property where a small amount of entrance hall carpet was glued down.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by novaleaf on Tuesday October 29, 2013 @11:41PM (#6639326)
my own experience: some air freight allows transfer of pets in the same hold (on top of the freight). I had my boxes pissed on by pets before. This may be a similar issue.

PS: My experience was freight from China to Thailand. And the airline wouldn't compensate because I didn't purchase their insurance.

Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by pionar on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @01:45PM (#6641860)
Interesting. I get the same "cat urine" smell from neoprene (a rubbery material used in a lot of athletic equipment, like pads and such). I wonder if that has something to do with it.
Re:Users complain their Dell 6430u laptops smell like cat piss by PeterisP on Wednesday October 30, 2013 @04:50PM (#6643275)
Since Dell is offering a fix that consists of replacing the laptop's palm rest, it might be related - maybe the palm rest is made of neoprene or something similar.