I think its a matter of how many excuses the fursuit maker had given over time and how much time they were taking. If all else fails snap a quick photo of the damage or of the remains of the project (if it had been soaked in water or something) and send that to them! Its hard to argue with a photograph (darn things always beat me in staring contests too) if you show them a photo it lets them know what progress was made in the time and its pretty solid evidence that yes something major happened.