Every time your cat rejects contaminated water, a vicious cycle begins. Less water means concentrated urine. Concentrated urine means mineral buildup. Mineral buildup means crystal formation. Crystals mean blockages, infections, and kidney damage.
The kidneys, already working overtime to filter toxins from a tiny body, start breaking down. Scar tissue forms. Function decreases. By the time clinical signs appear, three-quarters of the organs are destroyed forever.
I've seen this pattern hundreds of times. Young cats aging rapidly. Middle-aged cats dying like elderly ones. All because of something completely preventable.