Trying to keep the slugs away

My courgette plants had been trying to produce courgettes! But the slugs got to them. I had almost given up on them when I saw that after my trip to the Netherlands, the plants were having another go. And I decided to try to help them. I had bought copper tape. I had already experimented with putting some 'protective ring' around the plants, but that seemed a bad idea. It gets tampered with; I suspect the resident cats, who still like to shit in my garden. So I went for plan B: wrapping it directly around the plant. I will have to keep an eye on it as I don't want to restrict its growth or otherwise do damage with my tape. But if I try nothing I will not get a single courgette! And I would like to... 

The second batch of courgettes; notice one is only a stump

Copper-festooned plant