my cat is sick again

[mu99le]

Hi all,

Need some opinions before going to the vet. My kitty once had swelling beneath his left eye, which the vet called otitis, and after some antibiotic treatment the lump broke by itself. Now it seems that he's having the same problem, but we're not sure. the area beneath his left ear had swollen, but at first we thought it's because of the wound beneath the ear (he often scratched the area and we thought he had hurted himself). Then we noticed that although the wound's small and almost dry, the area around it has swollen and there's a tiny drop of pus from the wound. In addition, he has been very sleepy in the past 2 weeks and has also lost some weight, although before he's completely OK. Could this be otitis all over again or some more serious problem? Because the first time around he was neither sleepy nor getting thin. ANy opinions greatly appreciated. thanks.

some info about my kitty:
1) He's approx. 6 yrs old.
2) Diagnosed several mths ago with severe kidney problem. Has been taking medication and seems to be doing fine until recently.
3) He's a stray and always preferred to live outside until recently. Vet said he can't be neutered because his kidneys may not be able to filter the anesthesia and he could die.
4) He sheds quite a lot of fur and his coat looks shabby.
5) Vomits occassionally if eat too much.
6) Crouching, closing his eyes and swallowing after a hearty meal.
(he appears to have several different health issues to me but after numerous vet visits we haven't been able to locate the heart of the problem. and it's very hard to give him medication. it's quite depressing )