Oops! I completely forgot I'd posted this. Apologies for abandonment.
One of the cats and I are headed to the new vet tomorrow. They said I could just bring one of the cats by to see if the reader worked, because the receptionist wasn't sure about their chip reader. My fatso cat needs to be seen anyway (pulling his fur out due to allergies or mites!), so no sense making 2 round trip cab rides. If it works, then YAY. If not, I'll buy a universal reader and have my dad bring it over when he comes for a visit.
I'd re-chip, which I've heard is common, but the aforementioned fat cat is a big furry jerk at the vet, and he needed to be sedated to put in the first chip. He's getting up there in years, and I hate putting him under for something minor -- and money spent on sedation could be spent on a chip reader.
Thanks!