Abstract
The present study was carried out to ascertain whether linoleic acid intake and the content of this fatty acid in adipose tissue are correlated in cats. The linoleic acid intake, as estimated from a food intake questionnaire, was indeed correlated with the linoleic acid content of the abdominal body fat in 165 adult, female cats. A statistically significant linear correlation coefficient of 0.43 was found between the percentage of linoleic acid in the adipose tissue and that in the diet. It is plausible that the observed acid content of adipose tissue of free-living cats may be considered to be a valid biomarker of linoleic acid intake that might be used in studies on diet and chronic disease.