If you glue a horn on her nose, you could call her a rhinoceros... That's nothing to be ashamed of, that would be a badass cat.
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My life is easier, since I'm on my own, but I do use the tops of things to store items. (Like, I bought a bunch of decorative boxes, like from Michaels, and store various things in those on the top of my cabinets and fridge. And I store other things atop the removable wardrobe that was in my apartment bedroom when I moved in.)
In the dining room area, I actually have an ornate wooden screen (four panel) that I use to block off a corner of the room (maybe 2' x 6') behind which I store things.
I use sliding boxes under my bed to store CDs, etc.
I do have one of those large Ikea "cube" shelves (4 cubes by 4 cubes) into which i can install drawers, pull-out bamboo boxes, and/or just use some of the slots as bookcases and storage rack areas. And since the unit is only about 5' high, above it I have pictures on the walls + a bunch of decorative stuff running across the top to spice up the room's appearance.
I know it's harder if you have multiple people in your family, and you actually would like to have a sit-down area for meals. (For me, I just have a small table in my kitchen that I never sit at.)