The effect of adding Pt to a highly active ceria polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon total oxidation catalyst has been investigated for the oxidation of naphthalene. The addition of Pt to ceria suppressed the performance of the catalyst for total oxidation. The addition of Pt reduced catalyst surface area, decreased the ceria crystallite size, decreased the concentration of ceria defects and increased the reducibility of the catalyst. The suppression of activity has been attributed to strong metal-support interaction between Pt and ceria, which limits the availability of lattice oxygen for the oxidation process, which follows the Mars-Van Krevelen redox mechanism in the absence of Pt. It is postulated that the presence of dispersed Pt, alters the mechanism of naphthalene oxidation over the ceria catalyst.