Skittish Cat with tooth problem

I have a female who is about 8 years old. She seems to be having a tooth issue. She is a very skittish cat so therefore getting her in a cage is not going to work, she does like being held. I can pet her she sits on the arm of my rocker. She will not let me cut her nails. Help she has lost a little weight. She is eating and drinking daily at least 2 times a day. Sometimes when eating she cries out and then runs from food bowl. Any suggestions? I am currently trying Scaredy cat Spirit Essence and that seems to be helping a little.

You need to get her to a vet and get her mouth examined.  She could have a tooth abscess which could be treated with antibiotics, or she could have an exposed nerve, or she  could have something called stomatitis which is easy to see but her mouth will have to be examined and obviously that's not something you can do.  You can probably trick her into going in a carrier by putting a nice soft pad like a sheet in it, and leaving it open.  Often cats feel the need to check out any "box" at all.  If that doesn't work, you can try throwing in some treats if she likes treats.  (That always works on my feral kittens who will not go in otherwise.)  Yur cat is at the age when tooth problems are more likely to arise, especially if she has never had any dentistry done.  Do find a way to get her to your vet for an exam asap because tooth pain is like an electric shock (have you ever had it?) and that has to be very stressful for her.

Thank you. If i could get her in a cage she would have already been taken. She is almost feral when it comes to getting a hold of.  She bites and scratches and you have to be able to take her out of the cage and we can not even get her that is why i have tried to find someone to come to my home but then we still have the issue how to give her meds if she needs them. 

Got a vet to come to our house. Kitty got teeth taken care of now she is mad at us. But that is okay i know she will warm up again to us.