The Cat Battle Mechanic is utterly detestable

I just finished part 1 of the main story and unlocked all of the cat stuff. I've loved the game so far but man, the cat battles are genuinely making me miserable. One of the main reasons I play is for the collection aspect. I like to complete every sub-area and mechanic in the game, and now I feel like quitting. There is absolutely nothing fun about playing dozens of battles over and over again that are virtually all the same just to complete one silly little side quest. I am baffled by the length and tediousness of it all. So far it has been singlehandedly the worst aspect of the entire game. The amount of grinding that this requires is actually enraging me. Does anyone like this Cat Battle thing or see any reason at all for it? I honestly think it should be scrapped from the game altogether.