Ticks seem to be really bad this year. I am constantly pulling them off my cats. I use a product called "TickTwister" It works great without leaving the mouth-parts of the tick implanted in the skin and without compressing the abdomen of the tick, minimizing the transfer of infectious agents (Lyme disease, Babesiosis, etc.) I get mine at TickTwister.com.
http://land-o-links.com