Sorry to read your convo but I couldn't help it as I was replying to Olsen...
I know what you mean about pets. 1 of my cat's is a real ass. He'll jump on my lap, tail high up and block my view of the TV. After a bit he settles down and shuts up (he meow's so much). If he then thinks he's not getting enough attention he nudges my controller with his head. I've been killed many a time on various games by him.
It's a serious grind. I haven't plat'd it yet and doubt I will. If you don't like extremely repetitive things it might not be worth it to you. I'd say you're looking at 100-200 hours of grinding depending on the methods you use. I don't know anyone on the forum yet with the plat so the exact time is a bit fuzzy. It's a ton of fun going through the campaign 3 times... after that it just gets tedious. I think I could only plat it if Olsen or Toaster (or you if you get it!) cooped the grinding with me and kept me company,. Otherwise I'd die of boredom.
Would you recommend Earth Defence Force Insect Armageddon? I'm considering putting it on my rental list. Wondering if you have an estimated difficulty/platinum time now also, would be great to know.