One day, two years ago, two lives changed forever. And it all began with a desperate meow.

Nick Poggilai was hanging out with a few of her schoolmates near their home in Brazil one afternoon when that weak, pleading sound struck her ears. It was the sound of a cat in distress — but there was no cat to be seen.

But she soon tracked the sound to a nearby storm drain. Then she peered inside.

“When she saw the cat, she knew she had to save him,” Felipe Poggiali Bretas, Nick’s dad, told The Dodo. “She didn’t think twice.”

That lifesaving moment was caught on video:

It’s unclear exactly how long the poor kitten had been trapped, but one thing was certain — she stood little chance of surviving had she not been found.

Nick’s dad is a veterinarian, and he couldn’t be prouder of his daughter’s instinct to help.

“I’ve always liked animals, and my youngest daughter, Nick, is the same way,” he said. “She’s loved animals since she was 1 or 2 years old.”

But Nick’s saving of the kitten from the storm drain wasn’t just a singular act.

Since the moment Nick reached down to lift the kitten to safety two years ago, the pair have rarely been apart. Nick had decided in that moment to love her for a lifetime.

She’s older now, of course, but still nothing has changed about their love story, Nick’s dad said:

“The cat is still with her today.”