This is so funny! Not the covid part, the animal part. I lol-ed at this:
then jumps on my face when he feels like it
I switched up the parts of the house my cats were allowed to go to after a bout of fleas. I restricted them to four rooms that came nowhere near my bedroom. I put an end to their life- long and frequent trips to the great outdoors. What did I know? Soon enough I started finding urine on my walls and furniture, having been sprayed a good 15 inches off the floor. I assumed my perfect dog had suddenly started peeing in the house, and berated her. Then my male cat did it right in front of me. I treated him for UTI, no change. Then I watched that video I sent to you! And realized the poor cats had been traumatized by not being able to protect my house outside, and by not having access to me at night, just to check on me. I let them out again now, with flea treatment (probably giving them some other problem, but I can't get fleas ever again), and they can come into my bedroom as long as they sneak in quietly and don't wake the dog that is on the bed. If they do BEDLAM and we're all awake yelling at each other.
It's a balancing act
Oh my heavens! I think you have even more patience than I do. I remember fleas. It's been a long time, but that's even worse than lice. A nightmare. Hearty creatures.
Yeah, if they are used to going outdoors, then they have to go outdoors. Our cats have been only indoor pets. Once there was a feral we took indoors. He had been living on our front step (in a heated house, of course) for years but then started to fail. After we took him in he never showed any inclination to go out again.
Your poor dog. I'm sure he hated the urine also :))
This cat had been feral too. Sent me to the ER for a bite. But I persevered, and got him to cross the house threshold after a good year of enticing him closer. Once he, he refused to go out again for a long time. "No. I'm good" he would say when I left the door open for him.
Then I moved to a new village. He wanted out so bad I let him. Now he's in and out all day long. No more peeing inside.