HELP! old cat not responding to introduction techniques

Here's the deal. I've recently moved into a town house with my two cats. Both are spayed females ages 3 and 9 months. Anyway, the previous residents abandoned their cat. My roommate took it to the vet and everything checks out OK. He's a 3 yr neutered male, declawed, in good shape. We've tried keeping him in a seperate room and then gradually introducing his scent to the other cats on a towel or rag. The problem is, the minute the kitten gets near the towel she immediately starts to hiss, growl, and then attacks it. What should I do? My older cat doesn't seem to mind the new scents, but the kitten really freaks out. I don't want to force her to accept the new smells, but how do I get her to understand that the new scent isn't a threat when she won't even get near the towel without a huge territorial issue?

I am by no means an expert having only really ever had two cats! However if the kitten is attacking the towel are you sure it isn't play behavior? Leela is 3 months and loves to attack towels. Now I've never heard her growl or hiss at one, but still

Good luck!

Nope she's definately not playing with the towel. Her behaviour is very aggressive. I really wish she were just playing. It would make my life much easier.

That is normal for some cats to respond that way.... I would use something smaller than a towel, like a sock ........ and keep doing it...... consistently, until they adjust to the smell.

I find that using something of yours or your kittens sometimes helps ease the introduction of a new scent. Use a sock you have worn or let your cat sleep on a dirty shirt of yours for a day then introduce that to your kitten. Or take something your kitten likes to sleep with and then let your cat have it for a bit before returning it to the kitten. Then mix of a scent the kitten finds comforting and a new scent may help them associate this new scent with comfort and not an intruder.