Declawed older cat vs. new kitty

Question
We got Sammy a few years ago from a shelter, she was already declawed. She is 6yrs old.  We've recently added a new kitty, Tootsie, to the family. She was a stray but I think she's only about 6 months old. The problem is that Tootsie is determined to get Sammy to play with her.  Sammy is NOT interested in having her tail swatted, or in being pounced on unexpectedly, or in being chased through the house. Sammy hisses and swats, but since she's declawed it's not really a fair match.  We've tried hissing and clapping when we catch Tootsie terrorizing Sammy, but I'm not sure it's helping!  Any ideas?  By the way, we have seperate litter boxes, food/water, and beds for the kitties.  

Answer
Hi Amy.  It sounds like you're getting a full house!  That's great... always a wonderful thing to adopt a stray kitty.  (You ARE going to get her spayed, right???)

If Tootsie isn't already spayed, you should investigate getting her declawed at the same time.  Some people think this is a mean procedure, however, it is the only way that I was allowed to have my Melody (who is going to be 12 in July).  That's always an option for you.

Secondly, speaking from experience, Sammy is establishing her status as the "top cat".  Melody doesn't always like being swatted, pounced on and otherwise disturbed by her younger brothers and sisters (3 of whom are not declawed, btw!) and after Melody gives them a big hiss and a swat across the head, they generally leave her alone.  From my experience when they are playing (and you can tell when they are playing as their hackles are not up, their ears are USUALLY not flat against their necks, and their tails are not usually puffy) their claws don't really come out as a form of attack.  If you notice Tootsie starting to really dig into her big sister, then that should be cause for concern.  You could give her a time out, so to speak, if it's really concerning you - but generally the attempts at playing will be regected by Sammy, and Tootsie will go about her business trying to find something else to play with.

Good luck!