Previously my car had been just a little loud but it wasn't too bad.

Today I start it up and it has turned into a monster.

Clearly this picture indicates what the issue is.

I am not very well versed in working on cars. Is this something I can fix myself?

What would you do?

It depends on your skill level and the tools you have.

You may need a sawzall with metal blades to cut the pipe, a welder to then weld the cat back on.

Take it to a muffler shop and ask them how much to cut off the bad pipe sections and then weld it all together.

If the down pipe is really bad (weak to the point the weld won't hold) that whole piece would need to come off.

In that case you may as well buy the down pipe, cat and muffler new.

But yours doesn't look that bad so welding might work.

Agreed, a muffler shop should be able to weld that up for you. Looks pretty rusty though like OldTires said.

Walker part# 55277 looks like this, but you would still have to clamp or weld it onto your cat (the piece that's hanging):

Time for a new cat. Your metal looks too thin to weld.

Don't let the muffler shop keep your cat if it is original. It could be worth $20-50 scrap. Make sure you get the documentation from them showing why it was replaced.

If someone had already replaced it in the past with an aftermarket one, don't bother. Let it go.