Final answer:
To find the number of cats at the kennel, multiply the fraction representing the cats by the total number of animals at the kennel. In this case, there are 12 cats at the kennel.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the number of cats at the kennel, we need to determine the part of the ratio that represents the cats. In the given ratio, the cats are represented by the first part, which is 4 out of a total of 4 + 5 parts. So the fraction representing the cats is 4/9.
To find the actual number of cats, we multiply the fraction representing the cats by the total number of animals at the kennel. Since there are 27 animals in total, the number of cats would be (4/9) * 27 = 12 cats.
Therefore, there are 12 cats at the kennel.