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There is a down-side. RO water will kill anyone that uses it as a sole source, long term. It actually leaches minerals from the body.

No.

If we obtained minerals only from our drinking water there would be some truth in this, but this is not the case.

The problem is that pure water is very reactive. It binds with minerals and does leach out minerals from the body as it moves through.

It's well documented. Basic science stuff.

/johnny

We (and cats) actually do obtain minerals from our drinking water. Consider Gatorade — a means of adding electrolytes (minerals) to athletes bodies.

I had a cat with CRF & treated her from age 18+ through to 20+, with a saline solution (similar to the lacted ringer's solution that Glennb51 described using in #13). That ensured that the cat had sufficient water, and also the critically important electrolytes. The solution was prescribed by my vet; as was a special low-protein diet food (also obtainable from veterinarians.

BTW, from this ordeal, I learned that cats typically don't drink enough. If they don't get enough fluids, that hurts the kidneys, and can lead to CRF. They can get part of their fluids from soft cat food; but, if you feed them kibble, they need to drink more. I also learned that cats like to drink flowing water. The Bengal breed won't drink still water at all. I now have one of those cat drinking-water fountains. My cats drink more water as a result. I consider the fountain essential, to help prevent another case of CRF.