Very sick kitten!! Help!!!

I adopted a kitten from an animal shelter on 03/29. Within a few days bringing him home, he started showing symptoms.

-runny nose, watery eyes, excessive drooling, loss of appetite, not drinking any water, no interest in activity, excessive sneezing, and sleeping all day.

Vet diagnosed him with Upper Respiratory infection caused by the Feline herpe virus.

 I've been to the Vet twice. He was prescribed Zithromax the first visit. I've been giving it to him as directed. He then stopped eating and drinking. Took him back to the vet, they said to put him in the bathroom with steam a few times a day, Give him L-Lysine twice a day in food, 2-3 drops a day of eye ointment in both eyes and force feed him 4 to 5 times a day. I've had to force feed him on day 4 now. He's only eating about 1-1 1/2 tsp of wetfood mix with water at a time. About 5-6 tsps a day. Is this enough? He feels like hes losing more weight, he's getting really bony and I can feel his spine. He is keeping the food down, no vomiting or diarrhea. 

I've been doing everything the vet has told me and he isn't getting any better. Can anyone give me advice? Did this happen to anyone else? How long did you have to force-feed? How much were they eating? When did the little baby finally get better??

Please any advice will help, I don't want to lose my kitten

So sorry you're dealing with this. That is not enough food. Can you continue to force feed, but increase frequency? Steaming is definitely helpful.

How old is the kitten? He needs at least 100 calories a day, I would imagine.

How old is your kitten?

Unfortunately medication doesn't really exist that can treat these URIs. The antibiotic the vet prescribed is likely to prevent a secondary bacterial infection from developing. Like us when we get a cold, mostly you just have to wait for the symptoms to subside on their own. URIs in cats typically last about 2 weeks from start to finish. The virus itself is not life-threatening, but not being able to smell can really affect a cat's appetite, and not getting enough calories and water is definitely the worry here. If you can tell he's losing weight, he is not getting enough to eat. I think it's time to go back to the vet, who at the very least can prescribe some appetite stimulants and give subcutaneous fluids. If you feel like this vet is not adequately concerned, do not be afraid to try a different vet. Not getting enough calories can be very dangerous.

For now you can try feeding Gerber or Beechnut meat baby food in the little jars. It smells very tasty, it's easy for sick kitties to lap up, and it's mild and gentle on the stomach. It's not a nutritionally complete cat food, but that doesn't really matter right now. What your kitten needs is as many calories as you can get him to eat. Try feeding him after a steam session, when his nose will be the most open.

Whether or not lysine works is a matter of some debate (scientific studies say no, anecdotes say yes). I think you can keep giving it just in case unless it's a hassle. Another supplement you can ask your vet about is lactoferrin, which boosts the immune system. The herpes virus is not curable, and your cat will have it forever. Most of the time it will be latent and not show symptoms, but it times of stress it will flare up. Being adopted, even though it's a good stress, is definitely very stressful and probably triggered it this time. Since he's a kitten, his immune system is not that strong yet, and he's probably more vulnerable to it now than he will be when he's older, so the good news is future flare-ups will likely be milder.

I have found Famciclover to make a difference.  It helped my two when they had a bad herpes outbreak.   

He needs to eat.  Ask the vet for some Science Diet A/d.  That stuff is like kitty crack and is great for sick kittens and cats, malnourished kitties, and those recovering from illnesses.  Other than that, keep feeding him as often as possible.  You can also add in some plain meat baby food (no onions or garlic) and some plain (clear) baby Pedialyte.

I've tried baby food, and the vet gave us the A/D food. He's still not eating on his own. They said to just keep force feeding him until he eats on his own.

Yes, continue syringe feeding him until he eats on his own.  You can also try boiling some chicken in plain water and then shredding it and offering him that. 

How's he doing today?