Cat scratching the walls

[orangeandpinks]

Our 5 year old boy has just started scratching the walls in our hallway.
He did it 4 years ago just after my son was born - lasted for a few months and then he stopped completely and hasn't done it since until today.
There was an obvious reason the last time he did it, he was clearly upset by the baby. But there have been no changes recently, big or small.
He has lots of scratching posts and boards already.
Help - how do I stop him?!

Can you put a wall scratcher up there for him to use?

I had a cat who would scratch my bedroom wall at night with one eye firmly on me. He knew it would wake me up and I'd go downstairs to lock him in the living room for the rest of the night. I think he was scared of the dark and wanted to be accompanied down the stairs. 😂

Seriously is the wall painted plaster or nice spongy, painted over anaglypta?

It's wallpaper with paint over it.
There already is a cat scratcher on one door in the hallway for him - which he does sometimes use. His preferred scratching spot is usually our sofa. 🤷‍♀️

Wallpaper is basically a nice challenge for them

I would put up one of those wall scratchers in the area. Scratching is basically a way for cats to claim the area as "theirs" and if it's buy the front door, there's possibly another cat hanging around outside that's making him a bit insecure.

I bought my boy a big, fat scratching post and it's saved my sofa like no other has.

Amazon Basics Large Premium Tall Cat Scratching Post - 16 x 35 x 16 Inches, Wood https://amzn.eu/d/6DqsEbi

He now only scratches the sofa when he's in little shit mode, wanting attention.

He has loads of cat scratching things. I've attached photos of a few of them. We've literally spent £100s on towers and scratchers for him.
It's not an issue with another cat either - we live in a flat. There are no other animals in our block.

I would still try moving one of your existing posts to that area - scratching is natural for cats but the location is often chosen for a reason - generally to mark their territory or presence for some reason.

It could be that the door is a place of insecurity as it's where you come and go from, for example,or it's somewhere he's heard or smelt something that's made him a bit unsure.

All cats I've ever had have wanted to scratch around near exits/doors, I think it's fairly common but it's always been solved by putting a scratch post in that location or adding some extra enrichment in that particular area.