A report a few months ago by someone who took the "pre cats" apart reported nothing but baffling inside - no catalyst bed and said that there was no indication that they every had a catalyst bed. I don't recall if it was a 49-state or CA car, but it could be that only the CA models actually contain a catalyst bed, or it could be that what we think is a "pre-cat" is just an acoustical device that is part of the muffler system.

There's probably a broken weld joint. You could remove the catalyst assembly and either reweld the loose piece if it's accessible or remove whatever is loose and install the assembly back on the car.

Duke