betta fish really hurt or just pretending to be dead?

Question
Chris,
          Just recently, my betta fish fell out of his bowl and onto
my floor after my cat tipped it over (I didn't see how she did it)  
His bowl was on a shelf that was about five feet off the ground,
and was laying out of water for about four or five seconds before
i put him back in his bowl. He just layed there for a second, then
started to start breathing again. Then I took him into the
kitchen, but him in a different bowl with clean water, put it on
the countertop, and covered it with a cloth so it was dark. About
15 minutes later I checked under the cloth, and he was laying
completely on his side. I tapeed on the glass, to see if he was
moving, but he just stayed on his side. He looked like he was
dead. As soon as I picked up the bowl he started to swim
around, and he looked just fine. I put the bowl back where it was
and covered the bowl again. After a while I came back  and he
was laying on his side again,  looking dead. But he was able to
swim, like the last time. Is this just an act, and trying to protect
himself or really hurt? Its happened for about a day, and he's
still in his bowl. Will he survive?  

   Thank you

Answer
Hi Monica;

You've certainly done what you can to help him. It's good that you were home when it happened! Just keep him in the dark and keep his water as warm as you can. He's probably in shock so you may not know for sure if he is badly injured right away. The fact that he is responsive is a good sign. Keep in mind too that he will be inactive while it is dark. It's a defense against predators because he can't see.

Just keep up the good work, watching and waiting..........

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins