Can I cut/join the thunderbolt part of the cable

I had an unfortunate accident in which I crushed the thunderbolt cable (but thankfully not the socket on my macbook air).

While I could purchase #922-9941 -- can I cut/join the thunderbolt part of the cable, and use a connector from an extension cable?

Also does it have to be apple brand, or can any 3rd party cable be used?

From the TB spec, it seems like that all data is multiplexed over a data lane, and so it should work with any connector. However I'm not sure if the cable from the display is specific.

Thanks.