When you have a pet who is bonded, their "bonding status" shows as "You should feed your pet its favorite food." Presumably it should say "Bonded" or something like that.
Technically that is probably accurate. If you don't feed it regularly, it will go wild and no longer be bonded. I'd think the (bonded) tag over it's name when you dismount would be enough of a status indicator.
I believe the line "you should feed your pet its favorite food" simply means "feed as normal". Bonded pets lose loyalty the same way as unbonded ones: through time (not sure if implemented) and failed commands.
Definitely. I've had a bonded ostard go wild on me (Ganj, who I've had for like 9 months but never fed). I retamed it though and I'm going to rebond.
Yes, your pet loses loyalty over time. And they're supposed to lose it faster if you're out of sight of them (not sure if this is implemented here). Regardless... the message is nonsensical, and I think it would be an easy fix, so I filed a bug. That's all there is to it. I realize you can most likely figure out the status, especially if you've read the guide on the forums here. But if you're not an active forum reader, it's a little confusing.