Yeah but I think the point I was trying to make here is that in captivity there should be no need for your dragon to need scales to protect itself. I'd say bring the dragon out and put the cats in a room if they are going to mess with her in any way. After shes done walking around, put her back in a locked cage and let the cats out. It is also very stressful for an animal to need to defend themselves even if you perceive them to be in a dominate position in the encounter. So yeah, I'd keep them seperate.