Final answer:
To find the combined weight of Samantha's cat and dog, add their individual weights together. Samantha's cat weighs 5.5 pounds and her dog weighs 8.25 pounds. Their combined weight is 13.75 pounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the combined weight of Samantha's cat and dog, we need to add their weights together. Samantha's cat weighs 5 and 1/2 pounds, which can be written as 5.5 pounds. Her dog weighs 8 and 1/4 pounds, which can be written as 8.25 pounds. To find their combined weight, we add 5.5 pounds and 8.25 pounds, which gives us a total of 13.75 pounds. Therefore, their combined weight is 13.75 pounds.