What is the best way to introduce my 10 y/o cat to my roommate's new kitten?

[Juliana]

I apologize for the novel-length description. I feel like it's important to give some background first.

My 10 y/o cat, Midge, has lived with other cats her whole life, and always used to get along with them. However, about 4 years ago there was a lot of change at home with the death of one of my other cats, me temporarily moving out, and many emotions running high. Midge briefly had to move out and live with someone she did not know because she began urinating in the house. When I moved back in after a couple months, I brought her back, but something had happened and my other 3 cats no longer got along with her. In fact, they actually began attacking her whenever they saw her. So, for the past 3-4 years, Midge has been a “bedroom cat,†where I would only let her out of my room when I could make sure she wouldn’t be attacked (this is less cruel than it sounds, because I had a very large bedroom).

A couple weeks ago, Midge and I moved into an apartment with 6 other roommates, including a 2 y/o. She is no longer a “bedroom cat,†although she still prefers to spend most of her time in my room, especially when the kid is around. She seems quite happy and secure, although I do not think she will ever quite be her old self again.

A few days ago, one of my roommates brought home a 2-month-old kitten. I have tried twice to introduce him to Midge by having him in my roommate’s lap while I hold Midge, but both times, she has hissed, growled, and then run away. I know this is fairly normal for a first introduction, but I am worried that it will always be this way due to Midge’s traumatic past. It would make me sad to have to keep her in my room again, especially now with my small room.

My question is (finally), how should I try to introduce the kitten to Midge? I want to figure out the best possible way in order to maximize the chances that they can get along.

(I have considered buying either a “calming collar†or one of those plug-ins that release a calming pheromone and putting that in my room to help her relax. I used a bottle version before when I had to drive with my cats for a few hours, and it really worked. However, I think that would only be something that I would use to HELP the situation)