I'd much prefer that my cat was afraid of my snakes...cats are predators that typically try to "play" with small animals and often DO kill them, even if not for food.

You always need to protect any pet snakes, no matter how big, from other pets you may have. It just doesn't end well, especially for the snakes. Cats have effective
(& very germy) claws & teeth, even just a scratch can kill your snakes via unresponsive infections. I have dogs, it's pretty much the same thing...they're cautious of my
snakes even though I've had them the whole time, & it's just fine with me. They are never allowed together.