Or it could be the vet has no clue as to the sneezing so is throwing anything that might work at the problem.

I'm sure there is a high percentage of cats which sneeze a lot or have runny eyes which have herpes, however, since you can't really test for herpes, it's a process of elimination. So, you put the cat on antibiotics to see if it is a sinus infection (bacterial). Then maybe look into allergies. Or maybe start the cat on only lysine and see what happens in 2-4 weeks, but no antibiotics. To me, throwing both antibiotics and lysine at the problem will never answer the question as to what is wrong with the cat.

I get grumpy when I'm sick.

"Detection of Feline Herpes by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

PCR has proved to be very effective in the diagnosis of feline herpes. It helps to detect the thymidine kinase gene in the viral genome. This technique is highly sensitive, rapid, non-invasive and very specific. Specimens are taken from the nasal and conjunctival fluids of the infected cat to conduct the PCR test. A positive PCR test result confirms active infection. The improved rate of detection of the infection makes PCR a preferred test for diagnosis of feline herpes. If there’s an incidence of recurring or chronic infection and if other causes of conjunctivitis or keratitis have been eliminated, a positive PCR result may help the vet diagnose and treat the cat effectively

Read more: Diagnosing Feline Herpes Virus with PCR - VetInfo"
This is from this site:
http://www.vetinfo.com/diagnosing-felin ... s-pcr.html

It took some digging since I couldn't remember where I read this, but I finally found it. There is a test for herpes, although like all tests I am sure it can be incorrect in it's findings.

Thanks for the info, Lynda. I know the old non-PCR tests only could determine exposure, not active infection.