kitty RIP?

[Tom Nas]

Hi all,

My '87 Audi 80 will hardly rev above 3000, accelerates like a Fiat 500 and
when you rev it it sounds like there's a can of coffee beans rattling about
somewhere below the car. I've had a few backfires recently because the
lower gasket of the carb had desintegrated, drawing in lots of 'fresh air'.
The gasket's been replaced.

Conclusion: the cat's kicked the bucket. Correct?

I'd like the car to appear standard from the outside, so I'd like to keep
the cat housing. Can I just gut it or would I have to live with an annoying
resonance? Would gutting the cat and putting a pipe through it be the best
solution?

TIA for your opinions,

Tom
(Getting used to staying in the righthand lane and being out-accelerated by
Suzuki Altos)