Hi there
as a vet, I find ticks in cats frustrating too! Frontline (fipronil) is the mainstay of tick treatment in cats that we've had for ages, but isn't actually that good against ticks. Most of the tick products (permethrin based) for dogs are quite toxic to cats, but there is a new one, flumethrin, which comes in the 'Seresto' collar. Now normally, flea collars don't do very much because they work by diffusion, and so don't really reach the bum where fleas like to live, but this collar has ingredients which diffuse into the oils in the skin like a spot on, and so spread around the body effectively. Now I know I've had hunters of cats that cannot keep a collar on, but it might be worth a go?!
Hope that helps
Suzanne