Could my cat have a cold?

[KandyBin]

So here is whats going on with Bam....He is breathing funny,and sneezes,and he gets a little bit of a crusty stuff by one of his nostrils...His eyes seem fine...I mean there is just a bit of discharge from them,but not anything abnormal you know? Like the usual morning eye buggers type thingies....He's been snoring kind of loud wile he sleeps....Um....Oh yeah and when i try cleaning his ears with a q tips(dont worry i dont go deep into his ear canal),he cries about one ear but is completely okay with the other one being cleaned....The vet gave me ear cleaning drops to clean bacteria and stuff out,but i feel like maybe those made his ear hurt. I didnt even clean them that often just every once in a while(because he didnt seem to like it)...SO....I was thinking maybe he has a little cold? He is obese but he's on a diet that the vet gave me....So he is trying to lose weight and i thinks its working....He is acting completely fine,VERY playful,eating as usual...He does meow a lot but he's always been a talker since we got him...He usually talks when he need attention(and he needs a lot of it hahaha)....So then when i sit there and pet him or get his favorite toy and start playing he stops the talking......
Okay Im sorry i always post such details because i find it very important for the readers to know exactly whats happening to be able to answer my questions better,you know?
Okay so now to my actual question....Is there any way (like a remedy) to treat a cold in cats without going to the vet? I just blew like 700 bucks on him within the last 2 months and i cant really afford more spendings as of right now...But i feel like it is very important that i do something about his cold or whatever it is....Mainly im very concerned about his nose not breathing well,and his ear hurting him when i touch it....

[KandyBin]

Um well i kind of cant afford it right now...I had to pay for his new diet,deworming,blood works,ear exam,flee treatment,and the first exam with the vet. I am a student so just please try to understand. And i also went online to look up pictures of upper respiratory infection,and our cat's discharges dont look like that,and are no where as intense as the pictures show(i would imagine its different at different stages). But our cats discharge is more like dark brown or brown.Like what their eye buggers usually look like,except he has some by his nose. Anyways, i bought some l-lysine for him because thats what i heard was given to a lot of cats with URI...hopefully that helps...if not i will have to save up a paycheck to take my baby to the vet. Any thoughts?

[Jim Humphries, B.S., D.V.M.]

I can't tell you to treat an upper respiratory infection at home.  A veterinary exam is needed and proper diagnosis and treatment essential.