Problem with cats:
- They're fast (faster than a jump-sprinting player)
- They are small (hard to hit)
- They deal quite some damage
If just one of these three factors gets nerfed, it would be a lot better. The easiest would be to make cats run as quick as wolfs, so you would at least have a chance to run away.
I don't think that letting them sit down straight after the owner dies is a good idea, I would want revenge through my pets if someone kills me and maybe was at 0.5 hearts left.
About the potions:
I believe it would be better if they get split into two loot drops instead of the suggested 3:
- Poison, regeneration, speed
- Healing, damage
Another problem with the potions is that 45 seconds of poison can be very annoying. It used to be 45 seconds and it got changed to 23 seconds, but something messed up, and 2 potions of poison (45 seconds & 23 seconds) were added for a while (it got replaced with the damage potion). When the issue was fixed, the 45 sec poison potion was chosen again.
Another problem I have with the potions, is that you get a damage II potion, but only a healing I potion. Healing I isn't very powerful while damage II really is.