You know I believe you could just slather the tick in vaseline if it
difficult to remove from the kitten.  Sometimes those kittens can
squirm.  Or you can try lighting a match and touching it only to the
tick.  Be careful not to burn the cat, but if you don't remove the tick
carefully body parts of the tick may remain in the kitten.  The ideal
situation would be to get the tick to release itself from the kitten.

From what I've read the vaseline technique is not recommended.

http://cats.about.com/cs/criseswithcats/ht/removetick.htm

Assemble supplies on your kitchen counter: sharp-nosed tweezers, a small jar
of alcohol, disinfectant, hydrocortisone spray.
Have a helper hold the cat steady for you.
Using the tweezers, grab the tick at the head part right where it enters the
cat's body. Do NOT grab the tick by its body.
Pull steadily and firmly outward, without twisting or jerking.
Place the tick in the jar of alcohol to kill it.
Swab the cat's skin around the bite wound with a disinfectant.
Spray the area with the hydrocortisone spray to help alleviate irritation
and itching.
Wash your hands well with soap and water.

Tips:
The old wives tales of using vaseline, alcohol or kerosene to make the tick
'back out' do NOT work. Such actions may even cause the tick to deposit more
toxin into the cat's tissues.
Subsequent irritation or swelling are caused by the tick's toxic saliva, not
by the head remaining in the wound. Continue the Hydrocortisone spray to
help relieve the irritation.
Monitor the cat's general condition for a couple of weeks. If he displays
any untoward symptoms other than a welt and/or redness around the wound,
that don't go away in a few days, call your veterinarian.

http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles/cat_tick.html