This is probably one of the most common problems with cats who get to be free in the summer. There's a tick in my cats neck, to put it simply. I've heard of lots of different methods that could be used to get them out (butter on it, bug spray, squeezing it, etc.). I know that you're not supposed to pull them straight out. Any more suggestions?

Try using an alcohol swab, which may irritate the tick and cause it to loosen its grip. Grab the tick with tweezers where the mouth enters the skin. Do not grab it by its body. With a slow steady pull, remove the whole tick without twisting it as you pull. Clean the area with a disinfectant and apply an antibiotic.

(this is the human method, but I do the same with pets)

Another way to get the tick to release is to touch it with something hot, such as a match which you light, then extinguish, then immediately touch the carbonized end to the tick's skin. I have heard that people have used the tip of a lit cigarette (over 1000 degrees F!) to the tick. Getting it to release is better than pulling it out because it's less damaging to the cat's tissues and doesn't leave part of the tick's mouth parts in the skin. If that fails, the tweezer technique is well described by JerseyT.

using tweezers and risking the VERY liklihood of leaving the head intact increases the risk of injecting Lyme disease into the bloodstream. If your cat (or dog) has a tendency to pick up ticks, you might want to purchase a special product that is available from a company called Scandinavian Naturals - it is like tweezers but specially designed to remove the tick in its entirety. It's called a "TickPick"

http://www.bergeydesign.com/clients/scandinavian/scan_web/products/devices/tickpick.html

you could also try putting teatree oil directly onto the tick - they usually break free with this - - or even castor oil.....
I wouldn't recommend the match or cigarette tip as you may very possible burn your cat....