So last year my car passed emissions ok but this year it was way over on hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide like double the allowed amounts and my car smells like a gas station while its running did my catalytic converter die I also have the vss unplugged could that do it because it passed last year with it unplugged,

Please help I only have a temp tag for a month and then I'm screwed any help is appreciated

EDIT: it has started randomly getting hot on the interstate and feels low on power especially at higher rpms

 

The gas smell makes it sound more like a rich condition than a cat failure. Though if it's run rich for long the cat will be ruined too. VSS won't affect fuel mixture under most driving conditions. It does affect IAC response and this can affect AFR briefly during decel. How is your engine tune? Does it misfire? Check your plugs, cap and rotor for signs of wear or deterioration. If the wires are older than five years or 100K miles, replace them. If any of the wires are damaged from heat or abrasion replace the set.

Check your injector spray pattern. The pattern should be a fairly solid cone shape and hit the sides of the throttle bores on throttle snap. If not you may need to either try some Seafoam fuel system cleaner or have your injectors professionally serviced. The loss of power at higher speeds and the high emissions may also be caused by a failing and restricted cat. If everything else checks out okay, you may want to try disconnecting the exhaust before the cat and running the car up to speed briefly to look for a notable improvement. With the cat disconnected, you may also be able to see if the strata has broken up. A quick check for a broken strata is also to smack the cat(when it's cold only) with a hammer fist and listen for it to rattle. Rattling is a sign that the strata has broken up and is loose inside the housing. This usually goes along with a restriction.

If you do need to replace a failed cat, be sure that your injectors and tune up are in good shape. Most cat failures are caused by excessive fuel in the exhaust due to a less than great running engine.