To find the relative frequency of 8th graders who prefer cats, we need to use the formula for relative frequency:
\[ \text{Relative Frequency} = \frac{\text{Number of 8th Graders who prefer Cats}}{\text{Total number of 8th Graders}} \]
From the table provided:
- The number of 8th graders who prefer cats is 22.
- The total number of 8th graders is the sum of those who prefer cats, prefer dogs, and have no preference:
\[ \text{Total number of 8th Graders} = 22 + 26 + 6 = 54 \]
Now, we can calculate the relative frequency:
\[ \text{Relative Frequency} = \frac{22}{54} \]
Calculating that gives us:
\[ \text{Relative Frequency} \approx 0.4074 \]
To express this as a percentage:
\[ 0.4074 \times 100 \approx 40.74% \]
Rounding to the nearest tenth, we get:
\[ 40.7% \]
Thus, the relative frequency of 8th graders who prefer cats is 40.7%.