It sounds like flees, flees are much much smaller than ticks. google ticks and see what they look like, if she has flees treat her for it, if she has ticks contact your vet. Easy fix either way.
Rubicalm
Ticks can only crawl, they cannot fly or jump. Fleas can jump but they cannot fly. What you saw may have been a flea that jumped away. The best non-prescription product to use is Advantage II flea drops for cats.