Yes, she’s real.
Tally the Tabby isn’t a marketing invention — she’s a real long‑haired tabby who belongs to our founder, and the reason a site about chasing money feels a little less grim. Her full name is Tabby McTat (more on that below). Here she is, both of her.
Why does a debt‑recovery site have a cat?
Because being owed money is stressful, and most of this industry answers that stress with skyscrapers, handshake stock photos and jargon. We’d rather keep things calm and plain‑English — and nothing keeps you honest about plain English like explaining statutory interest with a cat watching.
Tally earned the job on merit. She keeps a close eye on everything that moves, refuses to be hurried, and sits on any paperwork left unattended — which is more or less our vetting process for agencies.
About the name: her real name is Tabby McTat, after Julia Donaldson’s book about the busker’s cat — a working cat with a public‑facing job, which turned out to be prophetic. Around here she goes by Tally, her professional name, because on a site that keeps count of what you’re owed it was too good to pass up.
One detail we didn’t have to invent: tabby cats naturally carry an “M” marking on their forehead — and drawn our way, it’s made of the same chevrons as the Collect Compare logo. She was on‑brand before we were.
Tally’s rules
The cute stuff stops at the border of how we actually run the comparison. These don’t bend:
- Names stay hidden until you choose. You compare agencies on fees, specialisms and track record — never on marketing budgets.
- Every agency is vetted by us first. Anyone can legally set up a collection agency in the UK. Not anyone can get on this panel.
- No pay‑to‑rank. If an agency pays for placement, it’s labelled “Featured” — and it still has to genuinely fit your case to appear at all.
- Plain English, every step. How each fee model works, what to expect, and what happens next. No jargon, no pressure.
This face has a name.
Around the office it’s known simply as The Look. It is issued, without right of appeal, to:
- Agencies that apply to join the panel and don’t pass vetting
- Debtors who “never received” the invoice they replied to
- “The payment run’s already gone this month”
- Cheques that have been “in the post” since March
If you are currently on the receiving end of this face: pay the invoice.
Right — back to getting you paid.
Compare vetted UK debt recovery agencies on merit, free. Tally will keep an eye on things.