cats and Heat Lamps

Hi
I'm looking at buying a ball python.
Is a spot light a must if there is an undertank heating pad?
I know I can get a UV light that is like a fish tank light... The shape of it anyhow... but I'm stuck on the spot light.
I have a toad in one tank already and my cats keep knocking the dome light off the tank....
Any suggestions on how to handle this???

That depends on the temp of the room it will be in.

Sat the room is 78?

Hi and welcome. Ball pythons don't need any sort of light. Natural sunlight will do just fine.

You will need to make sure that the enclosure's ambient air is between 78-82 because the UTH (under tank heater) doesn't heat ambient air. You can use a UTH though (regulated by a thermostat ofcorse) to provide a hot spot. Hope that's not too confusing.

You can also just get a PVC enclosure and call it a day. The initial investment is a little pricey but worth the money in the long run. Here's a thread on that:
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=165571

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UTH can be sufficient as long as your getting the proper 88-90 warm side and 78-80 cool side. Comes down to some trial and error with your uth and a good thermostat before getting your BP.

If it stays around 76-85 you should be good.