Abstract We report on the structure, chemical state, and catalytic activity of nanofabricated, planar Pt/ceria and Pt/alumina model catalysts prepared by colloidal lithography. Employing extended etching times, catalyst particles are fabricated that are much smaller than the size of the polystyrene colloidal particle mask. Using CO oxidation as a probe reaction, the influence of various pretreatments has been studied. We find that the H 2 /O 2 pretreatment deteriorates the reactivity on Pt/alumina, which is accompanied by blocking of the high-temperature CO adsorption sites as seen by TPD. After prolonged reactions the Pt/ceria particles show pronounced restructuring, indicating a low-temperature, reaction-induced, strong metal–support interaction, where ceria is decorating the Pt particles. In contrast, after an identical reaction history the Pt/alumina particles become facetted. The nanofabrication approach allows us to attribute the structural changes on individual particles to the integrated, macroscopic catalytic response.