It is based on a series of books created by British illustrator and writer Lara Jones, and is a co-production of King Rollo Films, Coolabi Productions, Cake Entertainment and Ingenious Media (season 2) for Nick Jr. in the UK and Sprout (season 2) in the U.S.

The series centers on Poppy, a young neckerchief-wearing kitten heroine, leading her eccentric team of friends who are stuffed animals – Alma the bunny kit, Zuzu the Dalmatian puppy, an owl named Owl and Mo the mouse – who belong to a little girl named Lara.

They walk upright, talk and go on many extraordinary adventures to faraway lands of wonder by any kind of transportation they need that matches her neckerchief, like a sailing ship, a train, an aeroplane, a hot-air balloon, a submarine, a rocket ship, a campervan, a horse-drawn carriage and their very own car.

Poppy Cat has aired in over 140 territories, including Sprout and NBC Kids in the United States, Disney Junior in Latin America and Spain (as La gatita Poppy and La Gata Lupe), KiKA in Germany (as Poppy Katz), Poland on MiniMini+ (as Kotka Pusia), Baraem, Children's Channel and e-vision in U.A.E, SVT in Sweden, S4C's children's block Cyw in Wales (as Popi'r Gath), EBS in Korea, Kids Station in Japan, Okto in Singapore, Nickelodeon in Australia, TVOKids and Knowledge Network in Canada, NRK in Norway, RTÉjr in Ireland, Mini CITV, Channel 5, ITVBe and Nick Jr. in the United Kingdom and Gulli in France.

[citation needed] Poppy Cat aired by accident on NBC affiliate WSMV-TV in Nashville on 26 October 2014 instead of the Manchester United-Chelsea Premier League match, sparking complaints on Twitter.