One day, 14 years ago, farmer Josemar Milli and his wife were traveling along a forested area near their home in Brazil when something caught their eyes.
There, stranded on the ground by a fallen tree in the woods, were two helpless baby parrots.

The couple decided save them — an act that would ultimately end up preserving more than just the birds’ lives alone.

After rescuing the baby parrots and bringing them home, Milli and his wife cared for them until they reached maturity. At that point, one of the birds flew away, never to be seen again. The other, despite having full freedom to do the same, decided to stick around.
“We named her Louro,” Milli told The Dodo. “She was never caged. She just never wanted to leave.”

Since then, Louro has been free to come and go — and always has a welcome perch upon Milli’s loving shoulder.

Recently, however, Milli noticed a change of routine for the bird. Though Louro would often go off and explore the world during the day, she invariably returned by evening.
“Louro has always slept at home, but then, for three nights, she slept somewhere else,” Milli said. “And during the day, she started staying near this [hollow] wooden fencepost.”

Naturally, Milli’s curiosity was piqued. Though Louro had been known hang out from time to time in a nest she made in the hollow post, she was now oddly insistent on remaining close. So, Milli decided to see what had Louro so captivated.

And this is what he saw:

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♬ som original – Josemar heber Schmidt Milli

Turn out, much to Milli’s surprise, Louro had apparently found — and evidently adopted — a litter of three tiny kittens.

Milli suspects that a neighbor’s cat had given birth within Louro’s part-time nesting spot, but had then abandoned them. Without Louro’s affection, and her ability to get Milli’s attention, the kittens might never have been discovered in time.

But thanks to the parrot, they could all be saved.

Milli initially tried to reintroduce the kittens to the cat who was likely their parent, but she continued to reject them.
Louro, meanwhile, was clearly bonded.

“She thinks of them as her babies,” Milli said.

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♬ som original – Josemar heber Schmidt Milli

The kittens Louro had adopted were then adopted by the rest of Milli’s family, as well.

“We brought them home and are taking care of them,” Milli said.

Even Milli’s own cat has stepped in to do her part.

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♬ som original – Josemar heber Schmidt Milli

With the parrot’s help, the three kittens not only survived, they found a loving home, too.

“My daughters will be keeping them,” Milli said.

Louro, from the looks of it, will continue to insist on staying close.

Indeed, for a wild bird who was rescued and raised by an unlikely family herself, it’s beautifully fitting that she’d go on to do the same for a species not her own.

After all, Louro has always been loved. And Louro has always been free. Yet with that freedom, she chose to offer love just as sweetly as she’d been given.