Final answer:
The total number of cats in San Diego after 5 years, based on an annual increase of 2.5%, would be 450,000. None of the options provided in the question are correct as they all underestimate the population growth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns the calculation of population growth, specifically the growth of the cat population in San Diego. To find the total number of cats after 5 years, we need to calculate the increase for each year and then add the sum of these increases to the initial amount. The number of cats currently in San Diego is 400,000 and the annual increase is by 2.5%. Note that the options provided appear to be incorrect since they do not show an increase but rather suggest a constant addition, which is algebraically incorrect when working with percentage growth. A proper calculation would be: Each year the number of cats increases by 2.5% of 400,000, which is 10,000 cats. Over 5 years, the population would increase by 5 * 10,000 which is 50,000 cats. Therefore, the total number of cats in San Diego after 5 years would be 400,000 + 50,000 = 450,000, which is not one of the options provided.