I have decades of experience with cold blooded pets,

In my experience, it really varies depending on the individual animal. Some cats have more hunting instincts and "prey drive" than others. That being said, the advantage in your situation is it should be easier for a younger animal to learn or be trained to avoid and ignore your cold blooded creatures.

I have an 11 year old black and gray tabby cat. I DO NOT allow him anywhere near my snakes because he has a very high prey drive. I don't even allow him in my room where I keep my snakes because he is just a really bad cat when it comes to slithering animals. He totally has a mind of his own. I have tried training him since he was a kitten and he just wants no part of it. Now, on the other hand I have a 10 year old beagle/boxer mix female mutt that just loves my snakes. She wags her tail when she sees that I have the snakes out and even licks them when I allow her to interact with them. She also likes being in the snake room when I am cleaning tubs.