retaining heat and possible cat problem

Hello. My beardie is currently staying at my moms until I can make space to move her into my house. Her temp on the basking side is ninety five degrees at the highest. I have a digital thermometer with a probe so I trust it to be about right. I have a hundred watt basking bulb and hundred watt CHE. The top is screen. I think that my set up is correct but the enclosure just isnt retaining heat thus the cool temp. What can I do to help insulate it more.. Also once she is moved into my house I have two very nosey cats. Any tips for making the top cat proof. Is it possible to hook the lights up there so they cant be knocked off

How far is your bulb from the basking spot? It sounds like you need the screen top to defend against cats so lowering them isn't much of an option. You could try building the basking spot a bit higher but I wouldn't go closer than about 6'' from the basking light at most (I like having the light more around 12'' above the basking spot) Your best bet for temps may be to switch to a 150w basking bulb and put it on a lamp dimmer so you can cut the power a little bit and get the temps you need. What do you have for a UVB light?

I don't have experience with cats so I'm not sure how to secure lights from them. I would try using a lamp stand to hold the light above the tank and then secure it using zip ties or something similar along the power cord. I'm not sure if that would secure it against a cat though depending on how they behave.

It was more than six inches away. Her basking spot was on a piece of driftwood, today I got a reptile hammock. I put it a little closer and it was about 100 up there. Id say that it is six inches away now. What is the danger in having it less than six inches away? She is eight months old. She was sitting up there, mouth open. So I guess it is hot enough? If she gets too hot wont she just move off to a cooler spot?

That should be fine. As long as it's easy to get up and down from the hammock she'll move depending on what temps she wants. The danger of having the basking light too close is it can cause burns if it's within reach.

So far so good with the cats. She does get on and off the hammock although while she was sleeping last night it came off and she fell but she just adjusted herself and continued to sleep so I guess she is ok