Liquid paraffin during moulting season: how much and how often should I give it?

I’ve been giving my cat liquid paraffin every day for about eighteen months now (15ml for a cat weighing roughly 7.7 lbs). This was also on the advice of my vet. He’s getting on a bit and his digestion needs a little "help". I have no trouble getting him to take it; I usually just put it in his wet food, but he actually likes it on its own, too. I'm not sure if medicinal paraffin is petroleum-based like the DIY version, but either way, my cat is in great shape for his age and still zooms all over the place. I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I thought I'd share in case anyone else was asking... Have a lovely day! :)

Okay, I won't give any liquid paraffin then. I don't understand why I was recommended it when all the comments on here are saying the exact opposite... Thanks for the advice (butter and cat malt)!

You just need to put a bit of butter on the tips of their paws for a few days to get them to ingest some extra fat during those times when it seems helpful. Personally, I don't find the idea of petroleum residues, even those labelled as "food-grade", very appealing at all. Speaking of hairballs, I've noticed that malt-based products are often recommended, but I'm not actually sure what the benefits of malt are, to be honest.

Liquid paraffin from the chemist works well for constipation, but only use it very occasionally, otherwise you'll end up with diarrhoea. I give my cats some Catmalt paste morning and evening when they're moulting and after a grooming session. Otherwise, for the liquid paraffin, it's one teaspoon mixed into their wet food if they'll eat it – if not, good luck trying to get them to swallow it!

Thanks everyone for your replies! My vet recommended it at the end of an appointment (so I didn't think to ask about the amount as he mentioned it in a bit of a rush) because one of my cats regularly has trouble with hairballs (even outside of moulting season) and despite everything I’ve tried (regular brushing, hairball treats, high-fibre dry food, malt paste) she kept being sick every now and then... It’s upsetting to see her vomiting and not be able to help her. She’s quite a timid cat and hardly goes out compared to my others (the door has to stay open for her to feel brave enough), so I’d ended up picking grass from the garden to give to her myself, but I never know when or how much to give her. I wanted to try the liquid paraffin option, as it’s not the first time I’ve heard of it for helping with hairballs, but maybe it’s more of a risk than it's worth... Regarding the grass during moulting season, I had a bit of a scare a few days ago: my (timid) cat was sick three times in one day (voluntarily, she does manage to get outside, especially lately with the door open because of the heat) and the third time, there was a bit of blood mixed with her saliva. I was told it could be irritation from being sick three times and, as she was acting normally and seemed fine in herself, I just had to keep an eye on her and stop her from gorging herself on grass. So, I’m going to do my best during this moulting season. I thought I’d found a solution that worked for my timid cat’s hairball problem: giving her salmon oil occasionally. She hadn't been sick for a long time with that method, until we hit moulting season, and now all four of my cats are being sick from time to time despite the brushing, the malt paste and the salmon oil...

I don't quite understand, surely malt pastes like Laxatone contain liquid paraffin? It's meant to be a "palatable" paste, but my cats won't eat it unless I mix it in with some wet food... Online it says it's generally used for constipation, but my vet assured me that it could be used for hairballs too... And when I was at the chemist, I double-checked with the pharmacist if it was okay to use on animals and they confirmed it was.