I came real close to buying a Tomcat about a week ago. I had reservations because of the frame problem. Further research indicated that the Inox ( SS ) version was acceptable and the frames do not crack on those. So if you continue with the Tomcat, I would get the Stainless version only.
In the meantime I discovered the Bersa Thunder in .380. I bought the Concealed Carry model which is smaller than the regular Thunder. The Thunder .380 CC is about an inch longer than the Tomcat, about 3/4 inch higher, about same width and weight as the Inox.
I went with the Bersa because of so many favorable comments on the various forums that I read. The Tomcat still interests me because of the tilting barrel but I went with the Thunder .380 CC.