Given the pace testing took before, I'm thinking we may have a thanksgiving feast on our hands.
I wonder when we can expect CAT? Q1 already seems really ridiculously crowded, but is it possible that we could see a release in the spring? Still, that would be a while after the last content patch. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Spring does seem more and more likely (even leaves a little time for a few world events) but It seems weird to unleash an xpac in the spring/summer doldrums every MMO goes through.

I called this. Since Ulduar they have been firing out patches with extreme regularity. They realised they can't keep people interested by making them farm the same raid for several months on end if Blizz are going to then go hand out the previous tier in five mans*. The only way to keep the raiders AND the non-raiders happy is the current system of regular raids and gear mini-resets. I expect 3.3 to drop late November - early December. Cataclysm if all is on schedule will be May - April at the latest.

* And no raiders aren't just motivated by HURR DURR PURPLEZ!. But once you kill the bosses there is bugger all incentive to kill them again unless you get rewarded. It is like finishing a level of a single player game and having to play it over and over again for months until they release the next level. Most people would just go play something else until they release the new level, and that is terrible for subscriber retention.