Why do cats spray urine on vertical surfaces?

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A Maine Coon longhair cat with cream and white fur sits beside a tabby shorthair cat in a garden with green foliage in the background. — cat Two kinds of domestic cats.

Cats spray urine on vertical surfaces primarily as a form of territorial marking. While this behavior is a natural way for cats to claim their environment, it can also serve as a signal that a cat feels threatened.12

Both male and female cats may engage in this behavior, which involves backing up to a surface, raising the tail, and spraying urine. This is distinct from a cat's typical elimination habit of burying waste in loose soil, which is done to avoid detection by predators or dominant cats.21

By leaving scent marks, cats communicate information about their presence and territorial boundaries to other animals. Through their highly developed sense of chemical communication, cats can detect these signals using the Jacobson’s organ, allowing them to interpret social cues and environmental changes.13