Answer: fluffy is 11 years old
Scuffy is 8 years old
Explanation:
Let x represent the present age of Fluffy the cat.
Let y represent the present age of Scuffy the dog.
Fluffy the cat is 3 years older than Scuffy the dog. This means that
x = y + 3 - - - - - -- - - - - 1
Six less than five times Scruffy's age is one more than three times Fluffy's age. This means that
5y - 6 = 3x + 1
5y - 3x = 1 + 6
5y - 3x = 7 - - - - - - - - - -2
Substituting equation 1 into equation 2, it becomes
5y - 3(y + 3) = 7
5y - 3y - 9 = 7
5y - 3y = 7 + 9
2y = 16
y = 16/2 = 8
x = y + 3
x = 8 + 3 = 11