Cat has something on eyeball. Vet prescribing herpes meds?

My cat Oreo is 12 years old, and he's an indoor/outdoor kitty.

I took him to the vet because he has some lumpy growth looking thing on his left eyeball, under the upper eyelid.

The vet said she thinks he may have keratitis  and she said she would would also prescribe for herpes.

Herpes? Does this make sense?

So, right now, she is prescribing for me to give Oreo the following 3 times a day:

Prednisolone - a steroid

AK-POLY-BAC - an anti-biotic

Famciclovir - herpes anti-viral

The Prednisolone and AK-POLY-BAC seem to have really cleared up his eyeball, and it's getting better every day.

But the Famciclovir is another story. It's an oral med, where I have to shoot a 1ml syringe of the stuff into his mouth. He absolutely hates it, starts foaming at the mouth, drooling, and runs around like he's mad. I feel so bad, because now he's terrified of me even petting him because he thinks I'm going to give him the Famciclovir. I have to give him 14 days of this stuff, and we're only on day 1.

I called the vet, and she said it was necessary to give it to him. I questioned why am I giving him herpes meds when she only assumes  he has herpes. I told her I don't like that we're throwing the whole pharmacy at the cat like this. I asked if I can stop giving him Famciclovir. She said it was a necessary medication for his treatment.

IS IT?

Ultimately, Oreo is my cat and my responsibility and I don't have to listen to this vet. I love Oreo and I hate to see him afraid of me because of the Famciclovir. He's already responding well to the steroid and anti-biotic. I feel that treating Oreo for herpes when it's not for-sure, doesn't make sense. I thought about going to another vet for a second opinion, but I've already spent a lot of money and I think we're on the right track with the steroid/antibiotic.

Anyone with similar experience and opinions? Any suggestions how to give Famciclovir so your cat doesn't hate you?

If he's never had herpes symptoms before at his age, I would question this diagnosis as well.  More likely it's from some kind of trauma to his eye or cataract.  If you're not too sure about the diagnosis, you can always get a second opinion from another vet.

Just a side note...
You can get Famcyclovir in pill form from a regular pharmacy, though not all carry it. I am able to get my prescription at a local CVS, but this one particular store is the only one that carries it in a 100 mi radius.

I am more inclined to agree with stephanietx; although, not seeing the cat himself, I definitely cannot say for sure. However, I would be very surprised by a vet prescribing steroids to a cat they believe has herpes...this typically shows initial improvement, but causes a worse flare-up in the end. I have only given 1 of my herpes kitties steroids (for stomatitis) but this was under STRICT supervision of his primary vet and the eye specialist he sees.