I was wondering the same thing but for a gorgeous leather couch which my cat previously ignored, but now recently is using as a scratching post (despite having three other posts which he loves!).

I bought a suede slipcover bc I read that cats hate the feeling of suede, but I was hoping someone had an idea of a smell that cats hate or something that I could find in a lotion or oil to rub onto the couch?

Thx!

Do cats like flokati rugs too? Every night I get home and the couch is coated in fur. I want to buy a new couch and this seems like a cool idea to protect it while I'm at work.

Obedience School?

Our cats adore flokati rugs - when we first brought it home, they acted like it was covered in catnip.

sassy - one of our cats suddenly decided our leather sofa needed some scratching as well. We used Obenauf's Heavy Duty Leather Protector to repair the damage and, although it could be a coincidence, she hasn't scratched it again.

Props to ChrisToronto, the flokati is a chic idea. I did not know they were easily washable. I may not shy away from the vintage store flokati selection in the future.
My old black lab has always been a couch dog. It is her one indulgence in the house. We have a grey-black couch and spread out two grey sheepskin wrens from Ikea on the cushions. I don't know if Ikea still has the grey ones, but they have a slightly shorter and curlier knap than the more widely available white ones. They are not washable, but they don't hold dog odor and the dog seems to like them.

we love our sofa too, so when we adopted a new dog we instituted a strict no-dog-on-the-couch policy. it can be a pain in the beginning, but in the long run i think it's the only way to really protect your couch.

as an alternative, i bought our pup a plain, canvas dog bed from llbean (which she now loves). it cleans well, is easily stowed away when we have company, and is a lot cheaper to replace than your furniture.

Extra slipcovers, and be sure they're easily washable.

with my cat i just ignore de scratch on my furniture, i love that rug in the photo

I use spry to keep my kitty away from places where I don't want her. I use Pet Organics No Stay spray. It's very natural, and won't hurt her. It's mostly garlic and clove oil, but it's very very faint, and I can't actually smell it once it's been sprayed and settled down. Also, it won't stain your furniture. This company has other selections, like No Scratch, and sprays to keep pets from urinating. It's less than 10 bucks for a decent size bottle, and they sell it at either petco or petsmart...I can't remember where I got mine, but they probably sell it at both.

dogs not on the furniture is not even a consideration for us. we just use a quilt that we place over the sofa. wash it frequently and your couch will stay fresh smelling and clean and it will keep the hair off. it's easier to take on and off too than a slipcover. we still vacuum the couch every so often to get the hairs that slip through, but it has been the best and least ugly solution we've found so far.

pet beds and some time dedicated to training.

The flokati rug is a good idea for the couch. I bought the large one from Ikea to use as a rug and my dog loved it. I finally gave it to him and now he uses it as his bed in the bedroom. I didn't know they were washable. Mine sheds a lot still and I think it would make a hug mess in the washer - possibly clog it up?

As for the couch, he rarely gets up on it, but I bought of those cheap cotton coverlets at Ikea (come in many colors for $12) and I wrapped the bottom cushion of our white couch in it. If it gets dirty it is easy to wash. I also use this on own bed, since that is his preferred place to take a nap.

Sometimes you just want to snuggle with your pet on the couch :-)

i had a sheepskin flokati and my dog just decided to eat it (and spit it out in little chunks). so that's not a great solution if your dog's a chewer.

we have this problem. we have chocolate brown microfiber sofas and a yellow lab, so ALL the hair (and drool-if he sleeps on it) shows!

we try to make sure he stays off but the loveseat seems to be his favorite spot, so i leave a throw blanket on the cushions if we are going somewhere, and at night he sleeps on a dog-bed in our bedroom.

we also keep those sticky lint rollers handy and we vacuum the sofas regularly.

has anyone tried that new brush thingy that is supposed to work for pet hair on furniture (for some reason i keep thinking its made by 3M)?

For cat start spray cat with water, it will change place to scratch. for sofa I cover it with polyester (pile) blanket ikea like Unni, because it don't move like cotton covers, in colors that hide hairs. And also I put slice lemon in plant pots to discourage my cat that loves sit in them and dig.

Cats like wool in general, so a wool blanket would work just as well as a flokati.