Yeah those are just flat grey ribbon cables right? Those are your IDE Cables, they don't require any special tools to remove them. If you've never replaced it before then chances are it's just been stuck in that position for quite sometime and/or could have had dust on it or in it...things like that
Ya, they are just REALLY sticky after sitting there for a long time, try not to pull by the cable itself if you can help it, try to pull by the plastic header on it.