Bile-salt-activated lipase: effect on kitten growth rate.

Because of the presence of bile-salt-activated lipase in cat milk, the dependence of the kitten on bile-salt-activated lipase is anticipated for milk fat absorption. To test this hypothesis, we initiated a feeding experiment comparing the growth rate of kittens fed with formula with those fed with formula and supplemented with purified human milk bile-salt-activated lipase. The results indicated that the kittens fed formula with supplemental enzyme had a growth rate twice that of kittens fed with formula alone. This study also indicated that the kitten can be utilized as an animal model in the investigation of the functional role of bile-salt-activated lipase. In this study we also performed the partial characterization of cat milk protein and fat.