I just saw this on CatCentric. It was a post from an animal hospital, but I'm not remembering the name now. It showed the person pouring a small amount of Dawn on a cotton ball, then rubbing it on the tick. After a short amount of rubbing, the tick came off on the cotton ball.

I've read that shampooing in Dawn added to water is useful for ridding animals of fleas. It should stay on a few minutes before being rinsed off. I'm not going to try this with my cat. I'm using food grade Diotomaceous earth instead. I rub a little into the creases in her beds, and on her blankets. It can also be rubbed gently into the fur, and it can be ingested. The main warning is not to breathe the dust. I only use a little at a time, and haven't seen any dust. But my next step is to sprinkle it on the carpets, let it sit for a couple of hours, then vacuum.

I was told by a friend that since he used this, he has no more flea problems. I just got a 5lb. bag at Frizelle-Enos in Penngrove for $15.