Couch report
The verdict is in: Mirabel's new couch lives at Ikea. :-) I test-sat a bunch of different sofa beds there, and the one I liked best is the beddinge style, which has under-couch storage, a choice of 4 mattresses of varying firmness, a machine-washable cover and the fabric style I wanted (canvas). It also conveniently has no little places where cat hair can be trapped (as they can be between cushions), which will necessitate less washing.
Also: I spent the bulk of my hour there playing around on couches, but it is clear that that place is a serious money-sink. I didn't even go on the 1st floor except to walk through it, but I eyeballed a number of things that looked as if they could easily trip and fall into my cart.
Now, I must canvas (ha!) my friends to see who might be into an Ikea trip sometime this weekend. Gas $ and other bribery are available for discerning participant(s). :-) (You won't even need to carry it down the Endless Marathon-Length Hallway of Doom(TM), as there's a building-owned furniture cart we can use to wheel it down there.)