Here in UK in some areas (including mine) deer ticks hosting Lyme disease lurk in long grass, and can attach themselves to passing cats. They're quite distinctive in appearance. My cats brought them in and two attached themselves to my leg. The bites form a 'bull's-eye' pattern on the skin. Lyme disease is nasty, can have long-term effects on organs and joints.
Luckily, no bears here! I've watched documentaries about bears in North America, it seems they can be terribly dangerous and unpredictable.