Cat and ticks

Earlier today, i was petting my cat on my lap when i felt 2 lumps. Cat is very long haired so i called wife over. I held the cat and she explored in his fur what the lumps were. It was 2 engorged ticks in a feeding frenzy. I took the cat to the vet right away and $400 later i hope he will be all right. Cat likes to go out for the evening. We live in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada and it is the same place where i got my one and only tick bite 15 years ago when tromping through the woods and the doc then told me that there is no lyme in Canada and not to worry about anything even though i had that bull's eye rash. Are those ticks ever ugly. Our cat is a beaurifyl orange long hair cat and he has been with me for 17 years now. I have also booked him for getting a complete hair cut within a week. We do that every couple of years or so. Again, it upset me to think of my poor kitty having these things on it and then getting lyme.