Peeing cat

Our female cat started peeing on this covered drain a few days ago and we aren't sure how to stop this!

Some information which might help:

i) The cat is 2 years old.
ii) We moved 3 months back , no problems until this week.
iii) The litter box is clean
iv) The drain is smelly and taped closed because the previous tenants didn't unblock it when it was stuck (we didn't know until recently and got it cleaned over a week ago. We also retaped it and it stinks a little)
v) She seems normal otherwise. She still poops and pees in her litter box but every morning , there will be a puddle of pee on top of the tape-covered drain.
vi) We put a bucket on top of the drain, she peed in the bucket!

My partner thinks she peed there because the drain stinks (it's not that smelly, you don't smell anything when you go to that room for example) . He might be right but how do we stop her from peeing there ever again? We've tried spraying perfume and now we put her litter box on top of the drain but would prefer to eventually move the litter box to the corner as it's now in the middle of the laundry room.

Thanks in advance for your help.

It sounds as if you are doing all the right things and just need to continue as you are for awhile, being patient. Remember, too, that cats' sense of smell is hundreds of times greater than ours and that while you might not smell anything in the drain, SHE DOES. Baking soda is a good deodorizer; you might try adding a box to the drain at regular intervals to remove any smell that is lingering there. Possibly other TCS members will have more and/or better advice for you, too. Good luck, and thanks for being kind and patient with your cat! Moving is always a traumatic experience for a cat, too, as they bond to environments more than we do.

I wonder if somebody else kept their cat in the laundry room, and now that drain smells like Other Cat? If so, she might be trying to cover up the scent. Try enzymatic cleaner in the drain.

Another suggestion: Put a small table on top of the litter box. That way you can use the table to sort laundry, etc., and her preferred peeing location has become functional for you too.

Try putting a bowl of food on/near the drain. My cat was peeing on my washing machine until I figured out it wasn't the machine but the drain behind the machine. I gave it a good cleaning and put food on the washing machine and no more peeing there.
Good luck!

Thanks for your replies.

It's getting worse. She stopped peeing on the drain (she can't- the litterbox is on top of the drain) but she peed on my bag last week and just a few hours ago, she peed on a pair of shoes (of course she had to pick my favourite pair!).

I really don't understand why she does this! There wasn't a problem before and we moved in June. Until 2-3 weeks back, she had no problems peeing in her litterbox. If it's because of the move, why is the problem only manifesting 3 months later ? It's funny because I don't think she could be happier. She has a lot more space now, she's put on weight (she was skinny before )...

And why oh why does she pee on my stuff! (okay to be fair, my stuff is the one lying all over the place, the bf's stuff is nearly always neat).

Have you taken her to the vet to get checked out? It might not be a peeing problem but a urinary tract infection. To be on the safe side get her checked for one. If she has one then you can get her well and she should stop the peeing.