Cats are always grooming themselves with their tongues so they can swallow lots of hair.  This can result in horrendous hairball problems. My older cat Mollie has problems with hairballs and is constantly spitting them up.  This is not only a problem for long haired cats. A cats hair is replaced approximately every thirty days and even short haired cats can ingest a lot of hair.  Usually the hair will pass through the gastrointestinal track without causing any problems.  Sometimes it gathers into sticky balls that your cat has to cough up.  Otherwise the hairballs with block the digestive tract and cause constipation.  Make sure that you brush your cat frequently to avoid hairballs.  If this doesn’t solve the problem there are lots of pet medications for hairballs.  Get a recommendation from your veterinarian.