Do I need a catalytic converter?

I have a 2000 Mustang Ford V6 3.8L

I looked under the car and I did not see 1 catalytic converter, I saw some pictures supposedly I has 4? But mine just has 2 long pipes that just go from the engine to the mufflers and then exhaust pipe. It smells like gasoline when I start up the car. Will this damage anything?

The cats are there to reduce the unburned hydrocarbon pollution the engine makes. The car doesn't care, but the engine computer uses the info from the O2 sensors to tune the engine - Are they still there? If they are gone also, that can cause some problems.

By law they are suppose to be there. The cars computers looks for them and their results as well. The gas smell is concerning and needs checked out. Raw gas can catch fire.

Sounds like you have dual exhaust - two cat converters + two mufflers. The most cat converters any car can have is 2, one for each bank of cylinders. Some cars combine the exhaust system into a single outlet, therefore you would only have 1 cat converter. The other component is the muffler and like the cat converter, you can have one or two depending upon the exhaust system design.

If is against federal law to remove or modify any emissions control component on any car even if there's no emissions test for your area.