With all the worries about lead products in the news, I noticed on the lamp I just purchased that there was a warning to California consumers (which I’m not) that it contains lead. Should I be concerned? I mean, it’s not like I’m going to eat it or anything, but my cats will definitely be rubbing up against it. Will this harm the little softies?
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Thanks!
The black lines in between the glass (or are they plastic) panes…don’t lick them. You’ll be fine. If your worried, in addition to not licking the lamp, wash your hands after handling it.
But the kitties rub their pointed little heads against the lampshades all the time. Can they be harmed?
(It’s glass; not plastic…it better be for that price! 
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I found this on wiki “Lead may be contracted through the mucous membranes through direct contact to mouth, nose, eyes, and breaks in skin”
So that would imply that it wouldn’t matter, but cat’s lick themselves/each other don’t they. If they were my cats, I think I would attempt to move the lamp to somewhere where the cats couldn’t get at it…suspend it from the center of the ceiling maybe.
How much more retarded can a cat get, anyhow?
Ya know…I hesitated to even post this for that very reason.
Did you see the customer feedback? You may not have the lamp long enough to worry. In general, I do not see much hazard here for your cats. Birds, on the other hand, particularly parrots, often are poisoned by sources like this.
We have a Tiffany-type lamp like the one you linked to, and as long as you avoid licking it - stay away Kalhoun - you should be fine.
Now the cats…that’s a different story all together, I’d not allow them to lick it either. 
California’s Proposition 65 is a well-meaning, but occasionally excessive bit of legislation. In the case of a lamp, it’s most likely concerned with the fact that the ends of the wires are most often dipped in solder (“tinned”) so they don’t fray at the light bulb socket’s terminals. There are non-lead solders available, but they cost more, so they’re usually reserved for more critical purposes liks plumbing.
FWIW, nearly every electronic device sold in this state has a Prop 65 warning somewhere on it, and lamps are prime offenders - the last lamp we bought had so many warning tags on the cord it looked like a used car lot. Don’t let anyone eat the lamp, and you should be fine. Of course, if this lamp is as badly put together as the reviews make it sound, you will need to be more vigilant than one normally needs to be with a table lamp.
I saw this on How It’s Made last night. Mosaic glass is held together by lead, because it’s soft enough to bend and curve as needed. Like Joey P first said, that’s the black lines between the glass bits. A sealant is applied over the lead, but it’s probable that some could still be exposed.
Consuming the lead is much worse. Is the cat going to be consuming lead paint chips? I still use lead fishing weights, because I don’t plan on eating them.
I handle lead solder all the time. I heat it up to melting, just to make those leaded seams. I’m no more impaired than I was before I started doing stained glass.
The solder is probably 60/40 meaning it’s 60% tin and 40% lead. It isn’t as toxic in solid form as it is in paint. It doesn’t become airborne. Just to set your mind at ease a bit, I had a lead level checked after handling the solder every day for over a year. It was unmeasurable.
Allow me to be the first to, if not flame you for this, at least singe you a little about the whiskers. You don’t eat them, but the loons do, to their detriment.