James Cromwell arrested protesting cat testing at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Actor James Cromwell was arrested Thursday (Feb. 7) in Madison, Wisc. for crashing a University of Wisconsin Board of Regents meeting to protest "cruel" testing done on cats at the university, reports the AP.

Cromwell, along with PETA spokesman Jeremy Beckham, burst into the meeting holding signs showing a cat with metal implantaed in its head at a UW-Madison laboratory. PETA claims that the university starves, deafens and decapitates 30 cats a year in the name of research on deafness.

During the protest, Cromwell shouted, "This is not science, this is cruel!" and Beckham dropped to the floor in front of the board.

The men were ticketed on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and released from jail Thursday afternoon.

The director of the university's Animal Resources Center released a statement which reads:

"Today's events are just another attempt by outside activists to draw attention to a cause. They have attacked and distorted this research, which has very real benefits for people who are deaf, from every angle imaginable. Exhaustive independent investigation by the USDA, which regulates the use of animals in research, concluded that PETA's allegations are baseless."

Cromwell, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Babe," could most recently be seen on "American Horror Story," where, ironically enough, he played a doctor who conducted horrific experiments on mental patients.