Congested cat

Question
Sorry to bother you. My cat is about 5 years old (strictly indoor, no patio
access) and just within the past year she has suddenly began wheezing,
sneezing, and struggling to breath. She sounds like she's congested. I've
brought her to the vet on multiple occasions and all they can tell me is that
it's probably allergies or asthma (because apparently they show the same
symptoms and are treated the same way); HOWEVER, she's a very skittish cat
and cannot be given pills. I've tried on many occasions and it just does not
work. Despite being a little bit on the chubby side she also refuses to eat the
pill pocket treats that you can stick the pills in. If I mix pills in food, she will
eat around the pills, or if I crush the pill up into a powder, she won't eat it at
all (even with tuna). I've tried pill guns, but like I said, she is extremely
skittish and this absolutely terrifies her and doesn't work. So like I said, I can't
give her pills (I only go through this extensive explanation because people
don't seem to believe me and will almost always attempt to tell me some way
to give her a pill...although if you have a creative way to give it to her that
won't scare the crap out of her I would love to try it). She's on drops right
now that I'm supposed to give her twice a day everyday until forever. It works
a little bit, but not completely and only as long as I give it to her. For a cat
who is as skittish as she is, it almost seems to make her worse initially (she
gets really scared and seems to hyperventilate a bit) so this is just not
working the way she needs it to.

Please help me. I've asked my vet on multiple occasions for different forms of
treatment and all they do is tell me to keep giving her the drops (which aren't
really working) or prescribe pills I can't give her despite my best efforts. Is it
possible that she doesn't have allergies/asthma and that it's something else?
Or that there may be another form of treatment they're not telling me about?
I'm at my wit's end and I'm so afraid she's going to stop breathing because
she struggles so much at times.  She seems to struggle the most at night. I'm
not sure why. My husband and I try to dust a lot and vacuum frequently to
help in case it's dust that's keeping her congested. We've been in this apt.
(about 850 sqft with one other cat) for 4 years though and she only began
having trouble in the past year. We will be moving into a larger place (that,
unfortunately, also has carpet, but less of it) at the end of April.  Please help
me. I don't know what to do and I can't keep taking her to the vet, because
the trips really freak her out and sometimes she'll have a full blown
sneezing/wheezing attack just from the stress of having to go to the vet.

Answer
Since you haven't told me what is in the drops you are giving her it is hard for me to answer you.

First thing you need to do is try to get some weight off of her. That isn't easy to do with cats and can be dangerous. So the best thing to do for that is get her on a special prescription food like feline R/D from Hill's. It really does work. It will help a lot with her breathing.
Now while it does sound like she has asthma, she should be tested for heartworms also. Usually vomiting is the symptom with a cough but you should be sure just in case.

If you are giving her prednisone for her asthma that alone will make her heavy. Asthma is always worse at night. I have it myself and they say that 70% of all attacks occur at night, so it is reasonable to think that holds true for cats also.

While in the past the vets told owners to completely remove all rugs I am not sure that really helps. You might want to remove any that are real wool because most cats have a problem with the real fabrics as opposed to the synthetics.
Some times nylon rugs are a problem too.

As far as the pills go, the liquid prednisone can be made flavored and is much easier tolerated by cats. Ask your vet to have it compounded by a pharmacist that does animals.Prednisone is very bitter and that is why she is eating around the pills.

While cats that struggle are hard to pill, I have only seen one cat in 30 years of practice that was impossible to pill and that was because he bit the pill gun all the while trying to bite and kill us. He was just plain mean. Skittish cats are not a problem if you approach it soothingly and very slowly. She freaks because of being restrained improperly which cuts off her air and makes her panic.

How much does this cat weigh?  Another thing about her drops- to quote you " She's on drops right
now that I'm supposed to give her twice a day everyday until forever. It works
a little bit, but not completely and only as long as I give it to her. For a cat
who is as skittish as she is, it almost seems to make her worse initially (she
gets really scared and seems to hyperventilate a bit) so this is just not
working the way she needs it to." They are not working because you are not being consistent with them. You need to give these to her calmly and you have to be slow and calm and not project your fear of her freaking because she picks up on that.

Let me know what you are giving her and how much she weighs. Let me know how she does and if you have any more questions. I am not really sure what the question was!!