Choosing a height the dog cannot cheat
The platform works only if the height difference is honest. A coffee table a determined dog can stretch onto, or a chair he can climb, merely relocates the contest. Good candidates are a wide, load-bearing shelf fixed to the wall, a dedicated section of counter partitioned from food preparation, the top of a stable storage unit, or a purpose-built platform — in each case high enough that the dog's mouth cannot reach even standing tall, and broad enough that the cat can sit fully on it with her bowls, rather than perching. Watch your particular dog before committing: a large, athletic dog who counter-surfs needs a genuinely tall solution or a platform behind a baby gate or cat door, while a small senior dog may be defeated by a modest, sturdy bench.
Giving the cat an easy, confident way up
Height that stops the dog must not punish the cat. Provide a route with intermediate steps — a stool, a lower shelf, a ramp with a grippy surface, or the back of a solid chair she already uses — so she arrives unhurried rather than launching herself and skidding into her bowls. This matters doubly for older cats and stiff joints, who may abandon a station that costs a painful jump. Set the bowls back from the edge on a non-slip mat, choose wide, heavy bowls that will not tip when nudged, and leave her turning room. Test the whole structure with your own weight-bearing hand first: any wobble will be felt by a cat as danger, and she will vote with her feet.
Making the platform the only place meals happen
Cats adopt a station through repetition, so serve every meal and all food treats up there from day one, and never at floor level, even once, even when you are tired. Lure her up the route with the first few meals if needed, sit nearby while she eats so the new place gains safe associations, and feed the dog his own meal at ground level at the same time, ideally in a different spot, so he is occupied rather than circling hopefully below. Lift her leftovers after each meal rather than leaving food standing on the platform — grazing access keeps the dog interested in the area and draws the cat down and up all day. Fresh water belongs on the platform too, since a cat who must come down to drink may be ambushed at the dog's bowl.
Hygiene and safety on a raised station
A raised station sits closer to human eye level, which is an advantage: you will notice spilled food, ants, and stale water faster. Keep food preparation surfaces and the cat's eating surface clearly separate — if a counter is used, dedicate one end with its own mat that is washed daily, and never let the cat's route cross chopping boards or hobs. Secure anything she passes that could topple, check shelf fixings monthly, and keep the dog's toys and chews away from below the platform so the area under her meal does not become his favourite hangout. If she drops food, clear it promptly; a dog rewarded with falling scraps learns to wait beneath her like a gull, and the mealtime peace you built the station for evaporates.
Keeping the arrangement clear for the whole household
Raised stations fail when a visitor, teenager, or sitter feeds the cat on the floor because nobody explained the system — and one floor meal can retrain the dog to guard the kitchen hopefully for weeks. The fix is simple information, placed where helpers will see it before they open the food. A short note on her profile covering where she eats, how she gets up, and that the dog is fed separately at the same time prevents most mistakes. KinsLe Family Sharing keeps those station details with her shared profile, so everyone who helps with her — family, neighbours, holiday sitters — feeds her on the platform by default and the dog never gets a reason to reconsider the arrangement.