Hi Phillip,

I doubt Jonesey was able to (successfully) beg like this at the homing
centre.  The charity status of such a home would naturally limit bingeing
and begging.  I think, possibly, that you are being too soft with him and he
is milking you for all he can get.  Most cats start out begging, but it is
up to the owner to stop the worst excesses of this.  A previous cat of mine
used to beg at dinner time.  He was told "Wait nicely and I'll save a treat
for you".  He learned this remarkably quickly, and usually had his little
treat when we had finished eating.  I always put his own dinner down before
cooking ours so I knew he wasn't hungry.  It is really up to you to teach
him that he can't jump up at the table.  My cats have never been allowed to
jump on the table, so there was never a serious problem putting a stop to it
at meal times.  Does he try and jump up when you're serving his food?  If
so, this should be disallowed.  As soon as one of my cats reaches up to the
worktop while I'm serving her food, I stop serving and say "Little paws
down, please".  Cat puts paws on floor.  I praise.  I start serving again.
If she reaches up again, I stop serving and step away from the worktop and
say "I can't do your dinner while you're climbing.  Little paws down,
please".  She puts her paws down and I praise her again.  This solves the
problem and she gets her dinner.

With Jonesey, you need to claw back some control.  Stop his begging by
promising a treat later, but it must be a little treat.  Be very firm with
him.  He will learn fairly quickly that he can't assume your meals are his
meals.  If you already give him lots of treats, cut back on these; he is
learning that he can eat/beg for food at any time.  Don't feel bad that
you're not stuffing him full of treats - of course he'll try and take you on
a guilt trip, but don't give in.  Get some 'light' menu biscuits which you
can dole out for treats and gradually train him so that he recognises his
mealtimes and his treat times.  Cats like routines very well, so he will
adapt to his new regime.

Regarding his vomiting ... is it possible he has a hairball problem?  Does
he groom excessively.  Sometimes cats groom because they're bored or
stressed, so if he's alone all day this could be the problem.  When you play
with him in the evening, use a brush to groom him and this will remove a lot
of the hair he would otherwise ingest.  If he's still sick, try a hairball
remedy.  Although his vomiting has an on/off pattern, it could be that it's
taking a few days for a hairball to build up, so that some days he will seem
okay.  It is very important that he has lots of fresh water to drink; if
he's vomiting 10 times a day, he will be losing a lot of fluid.  Further, so
many attempts to vomit would indicate to me that he is having trouble
passing hairballs.  If the hairball remedy doesn't do the trick, take
Jonesey to the vet and suggest an xray in case there's an internal blockage
or a narrowing of his gut.

As to the sudden switch from submissive cat to biting cat, this is actually
very normal.  Many cats just suddenly realise they feel too vulnerable and
will bite in the way you describe.  This reaction mostly occurs during
stomach petting.  A cat lying on its back and exposing its stomach is
telling you that it trusts you at its most vulnerable.  However, a cat in
just the same position has the full use of its armoury: teeth and four sets
of claws.   When petting, stop occasionally and wait for the cat to tell you
it wants more petting.  That way, he will feel more in control and less
threatened.   Jonesey obviously trusts you, but only so far.   Using the
grooming brush during petting may help.  When my cats get fed up with the
brush, they bite it - not me.  This suits me fine - brushes don't bleed.
It is possible, of course, that Jonesey doesn't realise he's hurting you, so
make this clear.  I've always stopped my cats biting/scratching too much by
saying "Gently .. you don't want to hurt ol' person".  It may sound daft,
but it works.

It will also help if you handle Jonesey more.  Examine him during play ..
look in his ears .. look in his mouth .. also check his eyes, but don't
stare too long or you will upset him.  Over-handling is a good thing with
cats; it gets them used to being held and handled.  It will make life much
easier at the vets.

Hope this helps.  Do let us know how you get on.
Spider