Do you want to focus on your shapechanging SO bad that you'd be ready to give away your spellcasting? If yes, try multiclassing!
A friend of mine tried to emulate the Stark's "puppies" from Game of Thrones. He gave barbarian/frenzied berseker levels to a direwolf and it resulted in a bloody, bloody carnage. If you change your mind on Druidic Avenger, you can always take "Lion totem" barbarian and still have the Pounce ability.
Also, you could dip into Swordsage or Warblade to get some nice Way of the Tiger's manoeuvers. Leaping with deadly claws attack isn't limited to Tigers only!