I feed my cat on top of the dryer where the dog cant' reach it. LOL.Well, our baby gates are still up because the oldest cat needs special food, which of course she likes to nibble at, so the dog is prevented from reaching the food with the gates. BUT, my OH made all our gates and they open and close easily and it's not a problem for us to enter and exit gated rooms. The dog is eight years old now and here we are, still needing the gates. If you know someone handy maybe this would be an option. TWo of our gates are old crib sides I found put out for our community's large item pick up and they were free. They are not as sturdy as the home made from scratch ones but the dog heeds them. Good luck, it may take some time.