Cat has issues

So, my cat, Oreo, who is 9 years old, is having serious health issues.

These include:

-Eye discharge - his eye is stuck shut, every time we try to clean it within 5 minutes its closed stuck again

-Drooling- He constantly has giant strands of drool running from his mouth. Same with the eye; if we clean it, in 5 minutes he's drooling like that again.

-Can't Eat/Drink - He wants to eat and drink so bad, but he has a ton of snot blocking his throat. We can't even clear it, because it keeps coming back.

-Smells really bad - Normally he doesn't smell, but he just smells TERRIBLE. I don't understand why.

-Really Sluggish...? - There are times he'll be sitting with me, and then he just falls to sleep, out of the blue.

-Mouth constantly open - Self explanatory. Possibly causing the bad smell..?

He's had these for 9 days so far, I'm hoping he recovers.

We've tried:

Putting him in bathroom while showering

Strong smelling food

Dropper with water

Note:

I really wish I did, but I have NO money for a vet. I'm living paycheck to paycheck, and can't afford it.

Poor baby needs a Vet...

I really think he has a bad sinus infection. It will not go away without antibiotics..

No matter how much steam, stinky food you give him, will not help..

He really needs a Vet.. he needs the antibiotics. 

There is a sticky on the health area which deals with finding help for Vet bills...

Are you able to get a Care Credit card? That can help pay vet bills if you can get that, just make sure the vet you take her to accepts it (they don't all accept it).

Can you call around and see how much vets will charge to examine her? If it's just a URI, they can usually diagnose that with a simple examination. Doesn't hurt to explain your situation to them either. Speak with the office manager though if need be; the front desk staff can't really help in that situation.

where are you located?  a location may allow someone here with knowledge of that area to give you some ideas of where to get treatment/help.

a JustAnswer question of a cat "drooling with thick mucus that has an odor, ...lethargic, refuse food and water, scrunched up eyes" got a response of it likely being a "calici virus."  which is an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI), as others here have noted.  however, in this case (multiple-cat household), at least one cat had recovered, and the vet that answered said usually the calici virus clears up in about a week.  that seemed to be without any intervention/antibiotics.  the vet also said the virus causes ulcers in the mouth that cause excessive drooling and foul breath.  and that, if you can look in the cat's mouth, you should be able to see red spots on the gums, tongue, or roof of the mouth.

other than a URI, possibilities are a toxin of some sort, or a reaction to a flea medicine (either on the cat or on another animal in the household).