New to this site - and new to cats!

Hello there! I came across this site in my researching and thought it looked like a good place to learn from the experts. I have never before owned a cat, but have had other pets my whole life, and currently also have a ferret. However, I was lucky enough to find this little fellow yesterday, a black Manx kitten!  We literally found him in the middle of nowhere. Two friends and I had gone out hunting and found where somebody had dumped a pile of garbage by the entrance gate to our hunt property. We were annoyed to find the trash there, but then absolutely shocked when we found the kitten that had literally been "thrown away" with all the garbage!  
We had arrived at the property not long after a huge thunderstorm passed by, so this kitty was just curled up under a bush by the gate, soaking wet and meowing like crazy. When we approached, he stood up and walked toward us, not afraid at all. We took him out to the main camp with us where we fed him some leftover meat (he was malnourished and so he tried to eat really rapidly - so we only gave him a little at a time) and then he slept in our tent quite soundly. 
 

My hunting buddies couldn't keep him, so I volunteered to take him home. I feed my ferret a high quality, grain-free cat food anyway, so he is definitely getting on a better diet now. He needs to be neutered, though, but I wasn't sure at what age would be best to do this?  I know that neutering animals too young can sometimes cause health problems later on. 

He was pretty well covered in fleas, too, so I gave him a bath with flea shampoo. Helped to some degree, but he's still got a few crawling on him. So he is staying in the back porch for now until I can get him a better flea treatment. Any good recommendations for this as well? 

My original plan was to find this little fella a new home after I got back from the trip. However, he's really bonded with me now, (literally follows me everywhere!) and I have to admit I quite like him! I just want to do what's best for him and make sure he grows up healthy and happy. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Here's a picture of him. I've not given him a name yet since I didn't want to get too attached, but I think that's already happened! He'll probably have a name in the next couple days

Oh what a sweet, sweet story.  He is adorable - thank you for helping him.  I would make sure he sees a vet as soon as you can.  He'll probably need worming as well as flea treatment.  The vet should examine his tail, too to make sure a) he's really a Manx (and not an amputee) and b) to determine that his tail is OK if he is a Manx.  They sometimes have tail and lower spine troubles.

Again, thank you, thank you, thank you for helping him.

And welcome to The Cat Site!

Thanks for your reply!  When I first saw him, I thought perhaps he'd lost his tail from abuse or accident, and checked him over. But there does not seem to be any sort of scars or sign of injury to his rear end, which led me to thinking he's just a manx. I could be wrong, of course, but I suppose I'll find out at the vet tomorrow.

Luckily, his droppings look really healthy and do not appear to have worms in them. I've seen wormy cats before and its not a pretty sight! Nevertheless, he'll certainly be checked just to be sure. I know there are some kinds of worms that aren't as apparent as others. 

He's already gotten quite accustomed to his new home. He's extraordinarily friendly and playful - makes me wonder why he was abandoned at all! Some things we will never know, I guess. I rescued my ferret, Dakota, the same way. He's the sweetest ferret I've ever owned, and was just dumped outside to fend for himself. Some people are just downright ignorant, I guess

Speaking of the ferret, I plan to introduce the two when the cat gets a clean bill of health. I've heard that cats and ferrets can usually get along without problem, and Dakota had been kept with another ferret for several years until the other died of old age. So, he is sociable and non-agressive, as is the cat of course,  though I am not sure how they might react to each other. I guess I will introduce them in a neutral area, as I did with the pair of ferrets when I first introduced them to each other.