With the viral campaign hitting the US, Ford is distancing itself from the spot, which it did not authorise on the grounds that it was too extreme.
The ad is set in a quiet suburban street and shows a ginger cat running on to a SportKa that has its sunroof open. As the curious cat leans further and further in, the roof closes and the cat's head falls into the car while its body tumbles on to the ground.
As news of the campaign hit the mainstream media in the US, a spokesman for Ford said: "We find this unauthorised ad totally unacceptable and reprehensible, and deplore the fact that it has been unofficially issued."
Ogilvy & Mather is reported to be investigating how the ad was leaked on to the internet, and both companies have taken pains to stress that the cat was computer-generated and no animals were harmed in the making of the film.
It has been pointed out that the viral ad is similar to several Foster's TV spots, where bungee jumper loses his head to a crocodile. That ad attracted 184 complaints but escaped a ban. Another showed a reporter losing his head to a pelican but the journalist attracted only 15 votes of sympathy.
It is the second time that a SportKa viral campaign has upset animal lovers. In an earlier execution, a freshly washed car takes revenge on a pigeon that is about to leave its mark by flicking up its bonnet, sending feathers flying. However, with pigeons not enjoying the same level of affection among the wider public as cats, it was only the Royal Pigeon Racing Association that failed to see the funny side.
The aim of the campaign is to position SportKa as the "evil twin" of the more staid Ka. The vehicles are not sold in the US.
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