An animal shelter spends $2.00 per day to care for each cat and $7.00 per day to care for each dog. Brooklyn noticed that the shelter spent $82.00 caring for cats and dogs on Friday. Brooklyn found a record showing that there were a total of 26 cats and dogs on Friday. How many cats were at the shelter on Friday?

Answer:The number of cats at the shelter on Friday was 20. Step-by-step explanation:Hi there!Let "x" be the number of cats and "y" the number of dogs. The shelter spends $2 per cat and $7 per dog. If the total expenses on Friday was $82, then, two times the number of cats plus seven times the number of dogs is equal to 82:2x + 7y = 82We also know that the total number of cats and dogs was 26. Then, the number of cats plus the number of dogs is equal to 26:x + y = 26Let´s solve this equation for y and replace it in the first equationy = 26 - xThen:2x + 7(26 - x) = 82Apply distributive property:2x + 182 - 7x = 82Subtract 182 to both sides of the equation:-5x = -100divide both sides of the equation by -5x = 20The number of cats at the shelter on Friday was 20. Have a nice day!