Thread: Is this a cat converter?

Replaced the front exhaust pipe with a straight through pipe on my 2001 D2 TD5 (15P EU3) a while back and noted what I thought was a small muffler/silencer on the removed pipe.

After using an on-line VIN Decoder I noticed that it states that the vehicle 'was' fitted with a catalytic converter.

There are no sensors around this unit or provision for any .. so it's got me wondering exactly what this unit is.
Can anybody give me a 'definitive' answer as to whether it is or is not a cat?

Mind you this same 'detailed' decoding of my VIN also says that the vehicle is a 2002 model .. which lines up with info I got off Topix some time back ... even though my registration papers have always said it's a 2001 model.

Miaow! Yes it's a cat.