Bumper Year For Ticks...Will Revolution Help?

My indoors/outdoors cats have come home with a couple of HUGE ticks on them. They are about the size of a large kernal of corn, deep glossy olive green, and they seem to be everywhere. I live in SW Pennsylvania and we have Deer Ticks which have caused Lyme disease in some people locally. I know that Revolution doesn't work on all Ticks...does anyone know what type of tick is probably on my cats? I've removed the ones that I can find and I can't believe how big they are...I thought they were large blood blisters from rough play but now realize that they are ticks of some variety. Perhaps Frontline would be a better choice, or will the Revolution take care of these nasty things?

Jim 

I am in central CA and have occasionally had ticks on my cats over the years.  Our vet recommended Revolution and it works here.

Here is a good site where you can identify what kind of ticks you are finding on your cats.  It also tells what diseases these ticks can carry.  This shows pictures of the four most common ticks found in Pennsylvania. 

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/ticks

Very few of the spot-on treatments that are safe for cats also kill or repel ticks.  The only one with some success is REVOLUTION, and it gets a few ticks, not all. 

The active ingredients most used on pet spot-ons are the following ones:

• Amidines: amitraz, tick killer and repellent. TOXIC FOR CATS
• Macrocyclic lactones (= endectocides): selamectin (STRONGHOLD, REVOLUTION), flea killer, effective also against roundworms and a few ticks.
• Insect development inhibitors: methoprene, pyriproxyfen. Only in mixtures. Effective only against fleas.
• Neonicotinoids: imidacloprid (ADVANTAGE ADVANTIX, ADVOCATE), flea killer.
• Phenylpyrazoles: fipronil (FRONTLINE TOP SPOT, FRONTLINE PLUS), pyriprole (PRAC-TIC), flea and tick killers.
• Spinosyns: spinetoram (ASSURITY ), flea killers
• Synthetic pyrethroids: etofenprox, cyphenothrin, permethrin, flumethrin, cypermethrin, etc. Flea and/or tick killers. Most synthetic pyrethroids are TOXIC FOR CATS

Other active ingredients less used on spot-ons are moxidectin (endectocide) (ADVANTAGE MULTI) and emodepside: (PROFENDER) and they do not control fleas or ticks but mainly roundworms.

Information copied from PARASITAPEDIA.NET